Woman, whose daughter was murdered in 2014, bails out of jail after facing drug charges - East Idaho News
Crime Watch

Woman, whose daughter was murdered in 2014, bails out of jail after facing drug charges

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REXBURG — A Rexburg mother arrested last week on injury to child and drug charges has bonded out of jail and filed for divorce from her husband, who was also arrested.

Kaci Phillips, 30, and Ryan Phillips, 34, were each charged June 27 with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and injury to child. Their six-month-old baby was placed in custody of the Department of Health and Welfare after police say the couple smoked marijuana in the same room as the child.

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Ryan Phillips | Rexburg Police Department

The incident last week is Kaci’s third drug-related arrest in less than two months.

On June 1, she was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. On May 3, she was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

After appearing in court and posting bond Friday, Kaci filed for divorce from Ryan, who is still in the Madison County Jail.

Their child remains in foster care, according to court officials, while court proceedings are underway.

In 2014, Kaci’s daughter, 14-month-old Kenzie Rose La Buy, was murdered by Adam Joseph Barney, 24, in Ogden, Utah.

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Joseph Barney | Weber County Jail

Barney and Kaci were dating and he admitted to killing the toddler by punching her in the stomach “with everything I had.” He told detectives that after he punched the child, he wrapped Kenzie in a towel and squeezed her tightly until she stopped crying.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported Barney told police he “lashed out” at the victim because he was frustrated that the motel room was dirty, the other two children belonging to his girlfriend were misbehaving and Kenzie was crying.

Barney allegedly told police that after attacking the girl, he left the motel room to go walking with the three children. While they were out, Kenzie was “lethargic and acting as if she was short of breath,” according to court records. The girl died in her stroller after they returned to the room.

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Kenzie Rose La Buy | GoFundMe

Barney was sentenced in 2015 for first-degree felony aggravated murder and will spend up to life in prison. Kaci did not attend the sentencing hearing and reportedly gave up custody of her other two children.

James La Buy, Kenzie’s father, said after Barney’s sentencing that he had been trying to gain primary custody of his daughter at the time of her death because Kaci was refusing requests to see Kenzie. He set up a GoFundMe account following his daughter’s death.

“Kenzie was my princess. She meant the world to me,” La Buy told the Ogden Standard Examiner in 2014. “She always wanted to be with daddy when I was with her.”

Kaci Phillips is scheduled to be arraigned July 10 on her latest charges and has court hearings scheduled July 11 and Aug. 1 on the other charges.

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