Woman accused of murdering son names Meade County sheriff in lawsuit

MEADE COUNTY, Ky. (WAVE) - A woman from Meade County who was previously charged with the death of her five-year-old son is now suing because, she says, she was wrongly accused.

It starts with the arrest of Kayla Irwin and her then-boyfriend Daniel Clemans in 2022. Irwin’s son died in the care of Clemans while she was supposedly at school.

The two were both arrested shortly after the child’s death, despite Irwin claiming repeatedly that she was not there.

In a new lawsuit, Irwin claims that Meade County deputies and investigators were misleading in their collection of evidence and the way that evidence was presented to a grand jury.

After Irwin spent nine months in custody, her case was eventually dropped. Clemans was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Irwin is now suing the Meade County sheriff, a deputy and the lead prosecutor for the harm they caused her.

Her lawsuit says, in part, “this case is about what happens when law enforcement intentionally puts the cart before the horse and brings charges based on personal bias instead of evidence and solid police work… The defendants charged Irwin with the intentional murder of her own five-year-old son despite having no evidence to support such a devastating accusation.”

WAVE News has reached out to the Meade County Sheriff’s Office but has not heard back yet.

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