Elysa Kelemen was sentenced to life without parole after a jury convicted her in Kyron Kelemen’s death.
LANSING, Mich. — Repeated reports of bruises, black eyes and suspected abuse reached child welfare workers before 6-year-old Kyron Kelemen was killed in a Michigan hotel room, a case that ended with his stepmother sentenced to life without parole.
The sentencing of Elysa Ella-Ann Kelemen, 34, turned a courtroom focus back to months of warnings before the Jan. 12, 2024, homicide. Eaton County prosecutors said Kelemen murdered Kyron after he knocked over her laptop. They also said the child welfare system missed clear danger signs before his death.
The first known reports in the months before Kyron died came in September 2023, when Genesee County Children’s Protective Services was told he arrived at school with bruises all over his face. The report said he had a black eye, another eye that was bloodshot red, bruising on his chest and bruising near the middle of his rib cage. The complaint was not substantiated. Because Angelina Foghino was Kyron’s biological mother, she said she was notified about bruises and other complaints, even though she no longer had custody.
Another allegation followed in October 2023. That report said Kyron had a face full of bruises and broken blood vessels in both eyes. Records described suspicion toward his father in that complaint, but the allegation again was not substantiated. Foghino said the pattern frightened her. She has said she lost custody years earlier because of drug addiction and blamed herself for not being able to keep Kyron safe. “I didn’t protect him,” Foghino said in an interview about her son. She said she believed officials failed him too.
In November 2023, a complaint became more specific. It said Elysa Kelemen was physically abusing Kyron and called it a recurring problem. Another warning said Kyron had been hit frequently by both his father and Kelemen and that school staff had noticed bruises and injuries. The complaint also said it was believed Kyron had been taken out of school to hide signs of abuse. Foghino said she contacted Kelemen through Facebook Messenger after CPS alerted her, asking why Kelemen was beating her son. Kelemen denied abusing anyone.
Three weeks after the final complaint was closed, police were called to a hotel in Delta Township where Kelemen and Kyron were living. The family had been placed at the Travelodge by Wyndham on West Saginaw Highway after being evicted from the Flint area, according to statements made in court. Kelemen first said Kyron had been doing homework when he became lethargic and started vomiting. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Doctors and police soon found that his injuries were consistent with a violent blow to the abdomen.
Investigators said Kelemen later admitted she got angry after Kyron knocked over her laptop. Police said she described coming down on his stomach with her knee while the boy was on the floor. An autopsy found blunt force injuries to the abdomen, and the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. Testimony described bruising on Kyron’s face, arms, legs, knees and hip. Prosecutors said the fatal injuries included catastrophic internal damage and argued that the boy could not have lived long after they were inflicted.
Kelemen was charged with murder and went to trial in Eaton County Circuit Court. Testimony began Jan. 12, 2026, exactly two years after Kyron stopped breathing in the hotel room. The trial was interrupted after a health issue involving defense attorney Conrad Vincent Jr. and resumed in March. Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Adam Strong and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Andrea Marti presented the state’s case. The jury convicted Kelemen of first-degree felony murder on March 10 after hearing weeks of evidence.
At trial, the defense sought to shift blame to Kyron’s father. Vincent described Kelemen as a domestic violence victim who feared her husband and falsely confessed to protect him. Kelemen testified that she was afraid and did not cause the fatal injuries. Prosecutors rejected that account and pointed to her own statements, medical evidence and the timeline from the hotel room. It is unclear from public reports whether Kyron’s father was ever charged in connection with abuse allegations or with Kyron’s death.
One of Kelemen’s former friends, Stephanie Tlajonick, gave testimony about how Kelemen spoke about Kyron. Tlajonick said Kelemen complained about the boy’s speech impediment, said she could not understand him, called him stupid and said she was sick of taking care of him. Tlajonick said Kelemen did not like him. Prosecutors used that testimony to support their argument that Kelemen’s actions were driven by anger and resentment toward a child in her care.
When Judge Janice K. Cunningham sentenced Kelemen on April 23, the punishment was mandatory for first-degree murder: life in prison without the possibility of parole. Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney Douglas Lloyd said Kyron was the second child to die under Kelemen’s care. He said a previous death should have led Genesee County CPS and law enforcement to act more forcefully. Lloyd said the sentence could not reflect the harm done, but it confirmed that such a punishment was not cruel or unusual for the killing of a child.
The earlier death involved Kelemen’s 4-year-old son, Carter Krammer, in 2020. Kelemen told Flint police she found him unresponsive after getting out of the shower and said he had been sick during the previous month. Officers found no visible injuries or bruises, and no charges were filed. CPS investigated for eight months and found no evidence of abuse or neglect. Carter’s cause and manner of death remained undetermined. Flint police later continued investigating Carter’s death after Kyron was killed, but no suspect has been named.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees CPS, called Kyron’s death a profound tragedy and said the person responsible was being held accountable under the law. The department cited privacy laws in declining to address the specific complaints made before his death. Foghino said she had no doubt the system failed her son. Prosecutors said the case showed how separate warnings can become fatal when they are not treated as part of one pattern.
Elysa Kelemen is serving life without parole for Kyron’s murder. The CPS questions raised by the case remain public, while the separate inquiry into Carter Krammer’s death remains open without charges.
Author note: Last updated May 19, 2026.