Topline: Authorities allege a search warrant uncovered troubling evidence in the home after the child was transported to a hospital and later died of her injuries.
Published: February 23, 2026 6:56 am ET
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Kyle Valle, left, and Lia Corbin (via SNCO Dept. of Corrections)
TOPEKA, KS — Newly unsealed court documents outline disturbing details in the homicide of a five-year-old Topeka child, as prosecutors pursue murder charges against two adults who lived with her.
According to WIBW, affidavits unsealed by the Shawnee County District Court on Feb. 19 detail what officers encountered when they arrived at the apartment around 6:25 p.m. that evening. Police had been called to the home after Lia Corbin, 24, dialed 911 to report that she didn’t think her daughter was breathing.
Court documents state that while Corbin was on the phone with dispatch, she spoke to Kyle Valle, 35, saying, “She’s alive. She’s alive. She’s alive.” Dispatchers instructed the pair to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions until firefighters arrived, according to WIBW.
When officers reached the apartment building, they saw Valle carrying the child, wrapped in a blanket, to the front door, the affidavits state. Officers observed what they described as significant trauma, including severe bruising on the body, swollen eyes, bleeding on the head and possible burns covering a large portion of the child’s body.
The girl was transported by ambulance to a local hospital but later died from her injuries, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal and KSNT. Police have not publicly disclosed the child’s name or specific cause of death. Authorities said Jan. 30 they do not believe the victim attended a local school, the Capital-Journal reported.
Michael Cross, deputy chief of the Topeka Police Department, said at a Jan. 28 news conference that two family members who lived with the girl — a man and a woman — were arrested in connection with crimes linked to her death. Police later confirmed that Valle and Corbin were related to the child and that all three lived in the same residence, according to KSNT.
According to the affidavits cited by WIBW, Valle told officers the child had a history of pouring soap on herself and said that if it wasn’t washed off quickly, it would cause what looked like burn marks. He also told officers the child had experienced a mental episode earlier that day.
Investigators noted that conditions inside the apartment were unhygienic, dirty and cluttered. Officers observed a bottle of peroxide on the bathroom sink and a bathtub half full of room-temperature water, with cigarette butts on the ledge, according to court documents.
A search warrant executed later at the residence revealed additional evidence, the affidavits state. Investigators reported finding used green tape and two Velcro straps in and outside the child’s closet. A white bucket containing apparent urine and a purple striped sock were also located in the closet. Authorities documented blood spatter from the front right corner of the closet with an upward trajectory and on the ceiling, as well as more than 50 plastic grocery sacks containing apparent human feces, according to WIBW.
Valle and Corbin were arrested Jan. 28 and booked into the Shawnee County Jail, jail records cited by the Capital-Journal show. Corbin was booked at 1:55 p.m. and Valle at 2:25 p.m.
Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay filed formal charges Feb. 2, according to KSNT. Both defendants are charged with murder in the first degree; premeditation, and murder in the first degree; inherently dangerous felony. They also face counts of abuse of a child and interference with law enforcement related to evidence. Corbin is additionally charged with aggravated endangering a child and possession of drug paraphernalia. Valle faces aggravated endangering a child; reckless situation to a child, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Shawnee County District Court has set bond at $5 million for each defendant, according to KSNT and WIBW. Both remain held in the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.
At the Jan. 28 news conference, Cross urged anyone with information about the case to contact Topeka police by email at telltpd@topeka.org
or by calling 785-368-9400, the Capital-Journal reported. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Shawnee County Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007 or online at p3tips.com/128.
Police have said the investigation remains ongoing.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Kyle Valle, left, and Lia Corbin (via SNCO Dept. of Corrections)
TOPEKA, KS — Newly unsealed court documents outline disturbing details in the homicide of a five-year-old Topeka child, as prosecutors pursue murder charges against two adults who lived with her.
According to WIBW, affidavits unsealed by the Shawnee County District Court on Feb. 19 detail what officers encountered when they arrived at the apartment around 6:25 p.m. that evening. Police had been called to the home after Lia Corbin, 24, dialed 911 to report that she didn’t think her daughter was breathing.
Court documents state that while Corbin was on the phone with dispatch, she spoke to Kyle Valle, 35, saying, “She’s alive. She’s alive. She’s alive.” Dispatchers instructed the pair to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions until firefighters arrived, according to WIBW.
When officers reached the apartment building, they saw Valle carrying the child, wrapped in a blanket, to the front door, the affidavits state. Officers observed what they described as significant trauma, including severe bruising on the body, swollen eyes, bleeding on the head and possible burns covering a large portion of the child’s body.
The girl was transported by ambulance to a local hospital but later died from her injuries, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal and KSNT. Police have not publicly disclosed the child’s name or specific cause of death. Authorities said Jan. 30 they do not believe the victim attended a local school, the Capital-Journal reported.
Michael Cross, deputy chief of the Topeka Police Department, said at a Jan. 28 news conference that two family members who lived with the girl — a man and a woman — were arrested in connection with crimes linked to her death. Police later confirmed that Valle and Corbin were related to the child and that all three lived in the same residence, according to KSNT.
According to the affidavits cited by WIBW, Valle told officers the child had a history of pouring soap on herself and said that if it wasn’t washed off quickly, it would cause what looked like burn marks. He also told officers the child had experienced a mental episode earlier that day.
Investigators noted that conditions inside the apartment were unhygienic, dirty and cluttered. Officers observed a bottle of peroxide on the bathroom sink and a bathtub half full of room-temperature water, with cigarette butts on the ledge, according to court documents.
A search warrant executed later at the residence revealed additional evidence, the affidavits state. Investigators reported finding used green tape and two Velcro straps in and outside the child’s closet. A white bucket containing apparent urine and a purple striped sock were also located in the closet. Authorities documented blood spatter from the front right corner of the closet with an upward trajectory and on the ceiling, as well as more than 50 plastic grocery sacks containing apparent human feces, according to WIBW.
Valle and Corbin were arrested Jan. 28 and booked into the Shawnee County Jail, jail records cited by the Capital-Journal show. Corbin was booked at 1:55 p.m. and Valle at 2:25 p.m.
Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay filed formal charges Feb. 2, according to KSNT. Both defendants are charged with murder in the first degree; premeditation, and murder in the first degree; inherently dangerous felony. They also face counts of abuse of a child and interference with law enforcement related to evidence. Corbin is additionally charged with aggravated endangering a child and possession of drug paraphernalia. Valle faces aggravated endangering a child; reckless situation to a child, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Shawnee County District Court has set bond at $5 million for each defendant, according to KSNT and WIBW. Both remain held in the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.
At the Jan. 28 news conference, Cross urged anyone with information about the case to contact Topeka police by email at telltpd@topeka.org
or by calling 785-368-9400, the Capital-Journal reported. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Shawnee County Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007 or online at p3tips.com/128.
Police have said the investigation remains ongoing.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Court Docs: Over 50 Bags of Feces, Blood Spatter Found in Apartment Where 5-Year-Old Died
Authorities allege a search warrant uncovered troubling evidence in the home after the child was transported to a hospital and later died of her injuries.
By Jacob Charles
Published: February 23, 2026 6:56 am ET
Kyle Valle, left, and Lia Corbin (via SNCO Dept. of Corrections)
TOPEKA, KS — Newly unsealed court documents outline disturbing details in the homicide of a five-year-old Topeka child, as prosecutors pursue murder charges against two adults who lived with her.
According to WIBW, affidavits unsealed by the Shawnee County District Court on Feb. 19 detail what officers encountered when they arrived at the apartment around 6:25 p.m. that evening. Police had been called to the home after Lia Corbin, 24, dialed 911 to report that she didn’t think her daughter was breathing.
Court documents state that while Corbin was on the phone with dispatch, she spoke to Kyle Valle, 35, saying, “She’s alive. She’s alive. She’s alive.” Dispatchers instructed the pair to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions until firefighters arrived, according to WIBW.
When officers reached the apartment building, they saw Valle carrying the child, wrapped in a blanket, to the front door, the affidavits state. Officers observed what they described as significant trauma, including severe bruising on the body, swollen eyes, bleeding on the head and possible burns covering a large portion of the child’s body.
The girl was transported by ambulance to a local hospital but later died from her injuries, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal and KSNT. Police have not publicly disclosed the child’s name or specific cause of death. Authorities said Jan. 30 they do not believe the victim attended a local school, the Capital-Journal reported.
Michael Cross, deputy chief of the Topeka Police Department, said at a Jan. 28 news conference that two family members who lived with the girl — a man and a woman — were arrested in connection with crimes linked to her death. Police later confirmed that Valle and Corbin were related to the child and that all three lived in the same residence, according to KSNT.
According to the affidavits cited by WIBW, Valle told officers the child had a history of pouring soap on herself and said that if it wasn’t washed off quickly, it would cause what looked like burn marks. He also told officers the child had experienced a mental episode earlier that day.
Investigators noted that conditions inside the apartment were unhygienic, dirty and cluttered. Officers observed a bottle of peroxide on the bathroom sink and a bathtub half full of room-temperature water, with cigarette butts on the ledge, according to court documents.
A search warrant executed later at the residence revealed additional evidence, the affidavits state. Investigators reported finding used green tape and two Velcro straps in and outside the child’s closet. A white bucket containing apparent urine and a purple striped sock were also located in the closet. Authorities documented blood spatter from the front right corner of the closet with an upward trajectory and on the ceiling, as well as more than 50 plastic grocery sacks containing apparent human feces, according to WIBW.
Valle and Corbin were arrested Jan. 28 and booked into the Shawnee County Jail, jail records cited by the Capital-Journal show. Corbin was booked at 1:55 p.m. and Valle at 2:25 p.m.
Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay filed formal charges Feb. 2, according to KSNT. Both defendants are charged with murder in the first degree; premeditation, and murder in the first degree; inherently dangerous felony. They also face counts of abuse of a child and interference with law enforcement related to evidence. Corbin is additionally charged with aggravated endangering a child and possession of drug paraphernalia. Valle faces aggravated endangering a child; reckless situation to a child, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Shawnee County District Court has set bond at $5 million for each defendant, according to KSNT and WIBW. Both remain held in the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.
At the Jan. 28 news conference, Cross urged anyone with information about the case to contact Topeka police by email at telltpd@topeka.org
or by calling 785-368-9400, the Capital-Journal reported. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Shawnee County Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007 or online at p3tips.com/128.
Police have said the investigation remains ongoing.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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