Father Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Killing 3-Month-Old Daughter and Burning Her Body in a Barrel

A West Virginia father has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars for murdering his three-month-old daughter and attempting to conceal her death by burning her tiny body inside a barrel on a farm in Kentucky. Shannon Patrick Overstreet, 53, received life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the 2021 killing of his daughter, Angel Overstreet. The sentence was handed down on November 9, 2026, following his conviction earlier this year.

Angel was last seen alive in Huntington, West Virginia, in early May 2021. She was reported missing later that month, but her father initially gave authorities a false explanation, claiming that Child Protective Services had taken the baby. Investigators eventually uncovered evidence contradicting his account, and Overstreet was indicted for murder in December 2023.

During his trial, Overstreet took the witness stand and admitted that he had lied about CPS taking his daughter. He then offered a disturbing account of what happened after Angel died. He claimed that his then-partner had done something to the baby and that the child had died while sleeping. Rather than contacting law enforcement, he said he became frightened because of his history of drug addiction and feared authorities would not believe him.

Overstreet testified that he drove to his property in Kentucky with Angel’s body, placed her inside a burn barrel and set it on fire. He described the act as cremating his daughter, telling the court that he was not proud of what he had done. Investigators later recovered bone fragments from the barrel, which prosecutors presented as evidence during the trial. His explanation did not prevent the jury from finding him guilty.

The jury convicted Overstreet of first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death and concealing a dead body. At sentencing, Cabell County Circuit Judge David Amsbary imposed life imprisonment without mercy for the murder conviction, meaning Overstreet will not be eligible for parole. He also received a sentence of 15 years to life for child abuse resulting in death, with the prison terms ordered to run consecutively.

The sentencing brings a major development in a case that began with a missing baby and years of unanswered questions. Prosecutors said the consecutive sentences were important to protect the jury’s verdict from future legal challenges. Overstreet’s defense attorney described the outcome as expected. For Angel, however, the case represents the tragic loss of a three-month-old child whose disappearance was initially concealed by the very person responsible for her care.