The Little Boy Killed by his Cousin – Kenneth White

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21st June 2021  •  3 min read

Five-year-old Kenneth White was being cared for by his cousin, Tiffany VanAlstyne, when she alleged somebody broke in and abducted him. However, investigation would reveal that Tiffany wasn't being truthful...


The Little Boy Killed by his Cousin - Kenneth White

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Five-year-old Kenneth White lived in a trailer in Albany, New York, with his 19-year-old cousin, Tiffany VanAlstyne, Tiffany’s mother, Brenda, and his two younger sisters. The children’s parents had lost custody of them because of deplorable conditions at the home and custody was granted to Brenda. 

At approximately 1:15PM on the 18th of December, 2014, Tiffany called 911 and told the dispatcher that two masked men had burst into the home, restrained her and drove away with Kenneth. At the time, Tiffany was looking after Kenneth and his two sisters alone while Brenda was out running an errand. It wasn’t uncommon for Tiffany to look after the children on her own.

A search party was immediately assembled consisting of both concerned locals and police while an Amber Alert was declared. The search continued into the night and at around 9PM, a sniffer dog picked up a scent and directed police straight to Kenneth’s body.1

Kenneth would be found in a culvert, partially buried underneath snow, around 100 meters away from the trailer he had shared with his family. Around his body police found footprints leading back to the trailer. It was quite evident that these footprints matched the boots that Tiffany was wearing when police arrived to take her statement after calling 911…

Just the following day, it would be announced that Tiffany had been arrested and charged with second-degree murder. In addition to the footprint evidence, investigators had become suspicious when they interviewed Tiffany and she said several things which didn’t quite add up.

Tiffany confessed that she had beaten and strangled the young boy after becoming infuriated that he kept giving her the wrong answers for his homework. She claimed she had blacked out and when she came to, she was strangling him. She stated: “I just threw him and I left him there and put some snow on him.” Tiffany also said that she thought Kenneth may have let out a cry but she didn’t call 911, she simply left him to die.

Kenneth’s autopsy would show that there was also evidence of blunt force trauma to his head which had occurred before he was strangled. Tiffany would state during her interview that she wished she could take back what she had done: “I think I’m a piece of shit right now, a lowlife, to do that to a kid who can’t even fight back or something…”2

Tiffany would ultimately plead guilty to second-degree murder. She had agreed to the plea deal in exchange for an 18-year prison sentence. She had been facing a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. Her defence would state that she had stopped taking medication for bipolar disorder and hadn’t slept for days when she snapped and killed Kenneth. In handing down the sentence, the judge said: “It is a tragedy because this never should have happened.”

After pleading guilty, Tiffany was given the opportunity to speak. She became emotional as she stated: “I want to say that those kids meant the world to me and I loved them very much. I loved Kenneth with all my heart and the girls too. He was my little buddy and will always be in my heart. I’m so, so sorry for what I did. I just wish I could take it all back but I can’t.”

Tiffany’s family, including Kenneth’s own mother, Christine, would stand by Tiffany. Outside of court, Christine would say that she loved her son more than anything in the world but she also loved her niece: “People need to realize the kind of girl that Tiffany really was with my children – because she was good with them. This is a tragedy and it hurts that nobody understands truly the person she really was.”3

A judge later ruled that the two sisters of Kenneth had also been abused while living with the family. The youngest girl, who was described as being developmentally delayed, suffered a beating with a large object. He said that they too had been beaten by Tiffany but added that Brenda had used corporal punishment to discipline the children. On several occasions, the children had begged their birth mother not to return them to the trailer because Tiffany hit them. Christine and the children’s father would also admit to neglect in Albany County Family Court. After the murder of Kenneth, his two younger sisters would be removed from the home and taken in by child protection services. Their great-aunt, Michelle Sweet, would be granted custody of the girls

In death, Kenneth received much more love and respect than he did during his short life. The community provided an outpouring of support and a support group named “Kenneth’s Army” was even established in his honour.

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Footnotes:

  1. Associated Press, 19 December, 2014 – “Woman Killed Boy, Falsely Reported Abduction”
  2. The Post-Standard, 24 November, 2015 – “Upstate NY Woman Pleads Guilty to Killing Cousin, 5, after false Amber Alert”
  3. The Times Union, 15 January, 2016 – “I Just Wish I could Take it Back”

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Heather
Heather
2 years ago

So sad to hear this wasn’t just one offhand fit of rage but that Kenneth and his siblings we being regularly abused. You don’t beat children at all, let alone kill one and claim you “love him with all your heart”. That isn’t love.

Susanna Vesna
Susanna Vesna
2 years ago

Trailer-park trash strikes again! It is absolutely disgusting how such people traumatize and kill children who they chose to have! Probably spent more money on alcohol and meth, than they would ever on birth control.

Lily
Lily
2 years ago
Reply to  Susanna Vesna

tiffany was not the mother of kenneth.
we dont know what “deplorable conditions” means with the mother though we can guess it wasnt abuse because the children told her not to take them back to tiffany (they wouldnt have if she was also hitting them). there is no mention of meth or alcohol.

JOANN WILLIAMS
JOANN WILLIAMS
1 year ago
Reply to  Lily

HI I’M JOANN AND KNOW THIS FAMILY VERY, VERY WELL. I LIVED WITH THE PARENTS OF KENNETH WHITE AND I CAN DEFINATELY ASSURE YOU THAT THE WAS NEVER IN DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS IT WAS ALWAYS CLEAN BECAUSE I HELPED CLEANED IT. AND THEY, THE PARENTS, NEVER HIT OR ABUSED THOSE KIDS I KNOW BECAUSE I HELPED TO TAKE OF THESE CHILDREN KENNETH WAS AND STILL IS MY NEPHEW. HE MAY NOT BE MY NEPHEW BY BLOOD, BUT YOU DON’T NEED TO BE FAMILY TO BE BLOOD. I HAVE BEEN BEST FRIENDS WITH HIS MOTHER FOR 35 YEARS.

Nakayla Salem
Nakayla Salem
1 year ago
Reply to  JOANN WILLIAMS

Hello I am Nakayla Salem. I am Jayson Whites first born I’m 19 almost 20. I have questions that need to be answered. If you can get back to me that would be great.

Anje
Anje
2 years ago
Reply to  Susanna Vesna

Trailers have nothing to do with this. Abusive people also live in mansions. Hello, Epstein?

Angel
Angel
1 year ago
Reply to  Susanna Vesna

It’s basically the house wasn’t in live able conditions

Kristin
Kristin
2 years ago

Tiffany was clearly given too much responsibility, too soon. She was 19, she shouldn’t be raising kids that aren’t hers. She should be becoming her own person. Now that poor boy will never be able to. Shame on Tiffany’s mom.

Kar
Kar
2 years ago
Reply to  Kristin

Too much responsibility is NOT a reason to snap and steal an innocent child’s life. While Tiffany’s mom is also responsible, Tiffany should not be stripped of all responsibly in the murder. She strangled him and left him to die while he was possibly still alive, it is still very evidently her fault, not purely her mother’s. Murder is not and will never be justified just by someone having “Too much responsibility”, it was a senseless killing and Tiffany deserves to be punished.

Last edited 2 years ago by Kar
Jess
Jess
2 years ago
Reply to  Kristin

I have been babysitting since I was 13 and never killed or beat or even yelled at one child. Age isn’t a reason.

Art
Art
1 year ago
Reply to  Jess

Me to . I babsat my brother and sister since i was 11 , practically raised them .

peanutbutterjellytime
peanutbutterjellytime
1 year ago
Reply to  Kristin

And, she wasn’t even raising the kids, just looking after them. Plenty of 19 year olds are babysitter and even some younger kids are as well while still being able to become their own person.

Lucas
Lucas
1 year ago

My brother was best friends with him he went to Berne-Knox-Westerlo school district. May he Rest In Peace ❤️

Ed
Ed
1 year ago

I unfortunately have ties to the grandfather that this little boy is named after Kenny Van Alstyne who dated my mother when I was little and I can tell you abuse is in their genes as he abused me physically, mentally and verbally and to this day he is the only man I wouldn’t hesitate to knock the F out if we came face to face because I ain’t a little boy no more! R.I.P. little boy and I’m sorry you were born into that family!

Last edited 1 year ago by Ed
Nakayla salem
Nakayla salem
1 year ago

I am Kenneth Whites Sister ( Half). I am the first born of Jayson Whites child. I am going to be 20 on April 2, 2003. I don’t know much about my baby brother. I’m just trying to figure out my family. I am adopted so that’s why no one has heard of me. Jayson white was with my mom Angela McGrath when he had me. I was adopted 15 months after my birth. I am blood of Jayson White. Kenneth White is my blood. If you do not believe me I have proof.

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