Man arrested in connection with death of 5-year-old child

A man wanted in connection with the death of his 5-year-old child was arrested after a traffic stop in the Yelm area.

The man was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for not having a license plate by a Thurston County Sheriff’s Office deputy on the evening of Oct. 18. The man was identified as Kyler Wayne Lawrence by the Pierce County Sheriff's Office.

“A passenger in the vehicle had drugs next to him, and was removed from the car for questioning. The passenger provided a false name, but was eventually identified as the suspect wanted out of Pierce County for the death of his child,” said Sheriff Derek Sanders in a social media post on Oct. 19.

“Pierce County deputies responded and extradited the suspect to Pierce County Jail, and he will also be referred for charges of drug possession and criminal impersonation 1st degree in Thurston County.”

The arrest stems from an investigation by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office in March 2025 that determined the child’s cause of death was due to acute fentanyl toxicity. 

“The child’s mother was arrested for manslaughter, however the child’s father fled the scene prior to law enforcement arrival,” said Sanders in the social media post.

Lawrence was arraigned on a charge of manslaughter in the first degree in Pierce County Superior Court on Oct. 19, court records show. He is being held at Pierce County Corrections Bureau with bail set at $1.5 million.

Another passenger in the vehicle was also arrested after it was determined she had warrants out for her arrest by the Yelm Police Department. That woman was also found to be in possession of a concealed, loaded firearm without a permit at the time of the incident. She was later booked into Thurston County Corrections Facility.

“The driver of the vehicle was determined to have a suspended license, and the vehicle was impounded,” said Sanders in the social media post.

“Exemplary proactive police work led to the capture of this suspect less than a week after the BOLO was posted in an effort to help Pierce County Sheriff’s Office seek justice for this child.”