Michigan – In a shocking case that has horrified Michigan residents and devastated those who knew the child, a 37-year-old mother, identified as V. Averhart, has been charged with murder after allegedly beating her 14-year-old nonverbal daughter to death. Averhart now faces a second-degree murder charge in connection to the July 2025 death of her daughter, K. Clark, a girl with autism who, according to prosecutors, suffered in silence for years behind a locked bedroom door.
The charges stem from a violent assault that occurred on July 7. According to court documents, Averhart initially told investigators that her daughter had choked on food. First, she claimed it was a sandwich. Later, she changed her story to a banana. Then, she blamed her boyfriend. However, the boyfriend was not present during the time of the assault, and he passed a polygraph test, eliminating him as a suspect. Prosecutors revealed a grim history behind Clark’s final days. The teen was nonverbal, diagnosed with autism, and dependent on others for care and communication. Instead of receiving that support, she was forced to live in a locked room, isolated from the rest of the household. According to investigators, Averhart had reportedly told others she was “tired” of Clark and didn’t want her anymore.
This wasn’t the first time Child Protective Services had concerns about Clark’s well-being. Multiple reports had been filed in the past, yet despite the red flags, she remained in her mother’s custody. Tragically, it would be her mother’s hands that inflicted the blows that ended her life. Clark suffered a traumatic brain injury, with the medical examiner describing the blunt force trauma to the back of her head as comparable to what would be expected in a high-speed car crash. She sustained multiple repetitive impacts, and there was evidence of intracranial hemorrhaging. These were not accidental injuries—they were brutal, intentionally inflicted, and ultimately fatal.
After being found injured in her home on July 7, Clark was rushed to the hospital, where she fought for her life for five days. On July 12, she was pronounced dead. The cause of death was officially ruled a homicide by blunt force trauma. Averhart was arrested in connection with her daughter’s death and remains in custody at the county jail without bond. She was arraigned on the murder charge, and her preliminary court hearing is scheduled for November 26.
Clark’s paternal relatives are mourning a child they say was deeply loved, even as she suffered out of sight. Her great-uncle spoke out publicly, calling Averhart’s actions “rotten” and remembering how Clark’s father had been working to gain custody of her before her death. He recalled that Averhart once said, “you can have her, I don’t want her,” underscoring what prosecutors now allege was a growing resentment that ended in murder.
Despite the silence imposed on her, Clark is remembered as a girl who embraced the world in her own way. Her obituary described her as someone who “left an everlasting mark” on those around her. She loved music, textures, colors, and simple joys like snacks and soft blankets—details that paint the picture of a vibrant soul stifled by cruelty. Now, as her mother prepares to face trial, the question remains: how many more warning signs must be ignored before a child like Clark is truly protected? Her death is not only a tragedy—it is an indictment of every system that failed to hear the voice she couldn’t use.
