Indy Mother Charged in Daughter’s Death Faces Life in Prison
INDIANAPOLIS — Marion County prosecutors say they will seek life in prison without parole for a mother charged in her daughter’s death.
Toni McClure is charged with murder in the death of her 5-year-old daughter, Kinsleigh Welty. She’s also facing battery and criminal confinement charges.
In April 2024, police found the 5-year-old girl unresponsive at a home on the southwest side of Indianapolis. She was pronounced dead less than an hour after officers arrived.
According to an autopsy, the girl died from malnutrition resulting from neglect. McClure told investigators that she barely fed her daughter and that the child spent most of her time in a closet covered in feces.
The prosecutor’s office also filed amended charges against McClure, claiming that the abuse started in May of 2021 and went on until Welty’s death, instead of between November 2023 and April 2024 as originally believed.
Prosecutors have also charged McClure’s mother, Tammy Halsey, and her boyfriend, Ryan Smith. They claim the two knew about the abuse and also would restrain the girl and prevent her from getting food. Halsey and Smith both agreed to plea deals in December 2025.
McClure’s trial is scheduled for June.
