Destiny Marie Champagne

Destiny Marie Champagne

February 20, 2003 - February 7, 2008

Destiny Marie Champagne was born on February 20, 2003. She was known as being very happy, and very considerate of other people. She would always try to cheer someone up if they were sad. Once she went up to a little girl she didn't know at all after she heard her crying and told her "Don't cry. It will be okay." and gave her a hug. Destiny was an animal lover as well.

On February 7, 2008, Destiny was visiting at her grandparents' house. She did this often. She was sitting in the center of her grandparents' bed watching television. Her grandfather had just brought her a snack of Valentines Day cookies and ham when he went to go check on the family dog, leaving Destiny alone.

What exactly happened in the few minutes that Destiny's grandfather left her alone will never be known, but it is believed that she wandered to the closet and found the gifts that had been hidden there for her birthday which was in just a few weeks. It seems as if she saw one of the ribbons on one of the gifts and took it off of the gift and attempted to make a necklace out of it.

Destiny wrapped the ribbon around her neck, and then tried to climb up the headboard of the bed to reach the canopy, which Destiny and some of the other children in the family often did, even though they were told not to. The ham that Destiny had been eating made her hands greasy, which caused her to slip when she was climbing. She was close to the edge of the bed, so she fell off. The ribbon was tied to her neck, and the other end had some how became entangled around the bedpost, hanging Destiny.

When Destiny's family came back a few minutes later and found her hanging, they immediately cut her down, but it was too late. Destiny was already gone. She was just shy of her fifth birthday

Addison Rosalie Weast

Addison Rosalie Weast

November 13, 2008 - April 2, 2010

Addison Rosalie Weast was born on Novemeber 13, 2008. She was being babysat by Cody Geddings, the boyfriend of her mother, on the day she died. She left Addison with Cody while she attended a class, and then Addison was being rushed to the hospital. Cody told Addison's mother that Addison had fallen out of her playpen. 

The hospital staff contacted the police after seeing that Addison's injuries looked like the result of a beating, rather than a fall. Cody told the police two different stories, the first being that Addison fell out of her playpen and then had a seizure. The second thing he told them was that he was outside in the backyard with Addison when a gas canister fell off of a wobbly stool and landed on Addison.

Addison had twelve skull fractures and signs of shaken baby syndrome. Addison died two days after being taken to the hospital as a result of her injuries. 

Caylee Marie Cepero

Caylee Marie Cepero

September 3, 2000 - March 8, 2005

Caylee Marie Cepero was born on September 3, 2000. She was a happy, healthy little girl who loved playing with her younger siblings and just having fun. Caylee and her siblings had all had respiratory infections around the time Caylee died, and were all treated for it by their doctor. By the seventh day of Caylee's treatment, she had gotten over her cough, and her temperature was only at 99.1, but her school sent her home early because she was not feeling well. 

The day after Caylee was sent home early from school, she started vomiting. Her parents thought that she just had a stomach virus, and that she would be over it in just a few days. The day after this, however, she had stopped vomiting, but began dry heaving. She was taken to the pediatrician, who diagnosed her with the stomach virus. She slept for most of the next day, except for when she wanted to go to church. She ate breakfast, but was very tired because of the medication she was given. 

The next day, Caylee looked even worse, so she was taken to the pediatrician at around 9:00 a.m. The pediatrician immediately diagnosed Caylee, on sight, with leukemia. Her parents, of course, were devastated, but the pediatrician assured them "This is not a death sentence as it used to be."

They took Caylee to the children's hospital where she was diagnosed with ALL and given and 80% chance of survival, however, the next morning, the final results came back and it was discovered that Caylee didn't have ALL at all, but AML, a more rare and deadly form of cancer that is usually found in adults, rather than children like Caylee. Now Caylee had a 40% chance of survival with chemotherapy, and a 65% chance with a transplant.

Caylee's parents were told that she would have ten days of chemotherapy with up to two and a half years of follow-up treatment, but even then, she may relapse and then need a bone marrow transplant, and may even die. Soon afterwards, they had to put a ventilator in, and explain to Caylee's parents that there was a possibility of losing her. 

Caylee was resuscitated twice, and she would only last for two minutes without being on support. She was not clotting as she was supposed to, and she was not stable. She was even having a difficult time breathing. Caylee's parents were now told that Caylee would probably not live through the night.

Caylee's priest came to visit at the hospital. He saw that Caylee was suffering. All of the blood they were giving her was not staying in her body, making her basically bleed to death. He told her parents that the last bit of love they could give Caylee was to let her go. 

Caylee was disconnected. She never took a breath after she was disconnected. Her parents held her for a long time,and told her that they loved her, and they were glad they got the chance to be her parents and to know her. 

Kristyanna Rose Cowan

Kristyanna Rose Cowan 

November 3, 1999 - January 22, 2003

 

Kristyanna Rose Cowan was born on November 3, 1999. She had an older half-sister named Brittney who was seven years old by the time she was born. Former neighbors report that while Kristyanna's parents were often not home, Brittney acted as Kristyanna's mother. If Kristyanna fell down and scraped her knee, it was Brittney who brushed it away, kissed it away. Their neighbor reports that they never yelled for their mother to help them. Kristyanna's mother, Tamara Bergeron, and her boyfriend, Bobby Schmidt moved to many different locations very often, and began selling drugs and gambling. They often stayed out at nights, leaving now ten year old Brittney to care for her three year old little sister, Kristyanna, who she nick-named "Kissy". Brittney even missed three weeks of school to stay home and care for her sister. On the night of January 21, 2003, their parents went to casinos and left Brittney and Kristyanna home alone yet again. The girls peacefully fell asleep on the couch while watching television that night, but soon after midnight, a knock came at the door. 

Kristyanna and Brittney

Brittney answered the door to find a teenager waiting for her. He wanted Brittney to come with him, but Brittney remembered that her mother told her not to go anywhere with strangers, so she told him no. The boy left, and Brittney joined Kristyanna on the couch again and tried to go back to sleep. A few minutes ater, however, another knock was heard. It was the same boy, but this time, he had a girl with him. He told Brittney that her mother had been hurt, and that she needed her help. Brittney opened the door to let the boy and the girl inside. She went to find her shoes, and asked the visitors if they would wake up Kristyanna. When Brittney bent down, the boy grabbed her and covered her mouth, telling her that they could do this the 'easy way', or the 'hard way'. Brittney fought back, but they punched her and kicked her. After a bit of fighting, they stabbed her in her chest, back, arms, and legs. Brittney desperately tried to reach Kristyanna, but she couldn't, and they began stabbing Kristyanna as well.

About eight minutes later, the visitors left, leaving Kristyanna and Brittney in pools of blood. Brittney screamed for her mother, but no one heard her. Around 1:55 a.m., Tamara and Bobby returned home. They called for help, and while they waited for it to arrive, they attempted to stop Brittney's bleeding. Kristyanna was already unconscious. When the officers arrived, Brittney told them "I don't want to die." Both girls were rushed into surgery, and Brittney kept asking about Kristyanna. The knife used to attack the girls was long, and was only a centimeter away from Brittney's heart. One of the twenty wounds she suffered pierced her spinal cord, Brittney would never walk again. The long knife had pierced Kristyanna's skull and brain, her jugular vein was slashed and a knife wound to her face slashed her cheek and her tongue. Kristyanna could not be saved. 

The killers, now miles away were eighteen year old Beau Maestas, his sixteen year old sister, Monique, and his eighteen year old girlfriend, Sabrina Bantam. The night of the attack, Beau was already high on meth, and he wanted more. He payed $125 for drugs from Kristyanna's parents, only to find out later that the drugs were fake, and actually salt. He told Kristyanna's parents "Give me my money back, or else.". He headed to their house with intentions of, in his own words, "not killing, but cutting or scaring", Bobby. Beau's girlfriend said she had no idea what Beau and Monique were planning on doing. 
Prosecutors have charged Bergeron and Schmidt, who are now married, with child abuse and neglect. Both have pleaded not guilty.

BreeAnn Rodriguez

 

BreeAnn Rodriguez

January 8, 2008 - August 6, 2011

 

BreeAnn Rodriguez was born on January 8, 2008 to Edgar and Claudia Rodriguez. She had two brothers, and one sister. On the day she went missing, she was outside playing with her brother. She was wearing a pink shirt, and pigtails. Her brother went inside to get a drink, leaving BreeAnn outside. When he returned, BreeAnn, and her bicycle, were gone. Later, investigators found her training wheels near the road.

According to BreeAnn's neighbor, BreeAnn came to his house. Shawn Morgan, her neighbor, was a steel factory worker with three children of his own. He reports that he found BreeAnn on the ladder of the pool in his backyard. He says that he took BreeAnn inside his house and then suffocate her with a white plastic trash bag. He told investigators that it felt like it took an 'hour' for BreeAnn to die.

Shawn Morgan then reports that he used the same trash bag he used to kill BreeAnn to put her body in. He then drove to a secluded road and threw BreeAnn's body into the ditch. Then, he went home and took apart BreeAnn's bicycle and threw it around the same area. 

Riley A. Fox

Riley A. Fox

March 31, 2001 - June 6, 2004

Riley A. Fox was born on March 31, 2001 to Melissa and Kevin Fox. She had an older brother named Tyler. On the weekend of June 6, 2004, Riley's mother, Melissa had left for Chicago to participate in  a walk for breast cancer. Riley's father, Kevin, also went to Chicago to attend a concert with one of his friends. The two left Riley and her brother with Melissa's mother, Sandy Rossi. 

Kevin returned at around 1:00 a.m. He picked up his children and drove them home. He was very tired by this time, so instead of tucking them into their beds as he usually did, he put Riley to sleep on the couch, and Tyler to sleep on a chair with a footstool. He then locked the door, and found he couldn't sleep, so he watched television and had a few snacks until about 2:30 a.m., when he finally fell asleep. 

Kevin had planned to drive Riley and Tyler to Chicago the next morning to see their mother cross the finish line of the walk for breast cancer, but a little before 8:00 a.m., Tyler woke up his father and told him that Riley was gone. Kevin immediately woke and searched the house for his three year old daughter. Upon doing this, he noticed the front door and screen were ajar. 

Riley was reported missing, and many people began searching for her. Melissa had called Kevin to arrange the family meeting at the end of the finish line, but when Kevin picked up the phone, he was crying, and and said that he couldn't find Riley. Melissa and a friend of hers headed home without hesitation. At around 3:00, Riley's body was discovered about a mile away from her home.

A mother and daughter were searching the woods when the mother neared the bank of the creek, she thought she saw a plastic bag. The 'plastic bag', was not a bag at all, but Riley's body, floating face down in the creek. An autopsy later revealed that Riley had been sexually assaulted and then drowned. Her mouth was covered with duct tape, and adhesive residue on her arms revealed that she had probably been bound.

Kevin Fox was jailed for nearly eighteen months, but then he was released because DNA tests failed to link him to the crime. In late May of 2010, officers announced that  a man named Scott Eby, who was a convicted sex offender was on parole at the time of Riley's murder. Scott Eby confessed to killing Riley after stealing from another house near Riley's. 

After kidnapping her, Scott Eby drove to a nearby park and sexually assaulted Riley on the floor of a public restroom before dumping her body in the creek. He is now being charged with Riley's murder.

Teigan Amiah Peters

Teigan Amiah Peters

March 25, 2006 - June 22, 2009

Teigan Amiah Peters was born to Ryan Peters and Tisha Brown. Teigan's parents had separated in 2007, but, according to Tisha, Ryan Peters had been harassing her for a very long time. There was a great amount of tension between Tisha, Ryan, and Tisha's boyfriend.

On Father's day in 2009, Ryan's family became very worried when they couldn't contact Ryan. They were so worried, that they called the police. Ryan's family believed that since the divorce with Tisha, and the fact that he had lost custody of his daughter, Ryan had become suicidal. Ryan lost custody when Tisha filed a complaint that Ryan did not return Teigan at the time he was supposed to.

By June 21, it was known that Ryan was with Teigan, and that he had picked her up from her daycare, even though Tisha was supposed to. It was also believed that the two went camping. The police were having a difficult time locating Ryan and Teigan. The next day, a member of Ryan's family says that he has talked to Ryan, and knows an approximate location of where Ryan and Teigan probably are based on what Ryan had told him. 

Later that day, after speaking with the member of Ryan's family, the police discovered two bodies at a camp site. One was an adult male, and the other was a female child, both had been shot. The bodies were soon identified as Ryan and Teigan Peters. It was discovered that Ryan had shot Teigan, and them himself. 

Sophia Marie Acosta

Sophia Marie Acosta

February 5, 2008 - May 11, 2011

Sophia Marie Acosta was born on February 5, 2008 to Obediah Acosta and Erika Smith. Sophia is remembered by those who knew her as a happy, loveable, and silly little girl that loved everyone. Sophia's parents had separated, and Sophia's mother had full custody of Sophia, and her baby sister, Alexa.

In either November or December of 2010, Erika began dating a man named Christopher Cheary. After some time, Christopher moved in with Erika, Sophia, and Alexa. It was also during this time that Erika and Christopher began using drugs like heroine. This is when the abuse of Sophia and Alexa began.

Sophia and Alexa

On May 7, 2011, 911 was called to the apartment with reports of a three year old girl being unresponsive. This girl was Sophia. Sophia was taken directly to the hospital, and was later mediflighted to another hospital. She had head injuries and possible sexual abuse. Alexa was taken away by child protective services.

Four days after being taken to the hospital, Sophia died, and it was discovered that her cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. About a week after this, Christopher was arrested. He had abused both Sophia and her little sister, Alexa. Erika Smith, Sophia and Alexa's mother was not charged with anything.