Kyra Aaralynn Zubah

Kyra Aaralynn Zubah

July 9, 2006 - November 10, 2009

Kyra Aaralynn Zubah was born on July 9, 2006. When she was just eleven weeks old, she was placed in a foster home due to her biological father being arrested for child abuse. She lived with Christine Atchinson until just four months before her death. Her little sister, Heaven, also lived with her and their foster mother, Christine.

Four months before her death, Kyra was taken out of Christine Atchinson's custody due to Christine allegedly attempting to fraudulently purchase prescription medication and the fact that it was believed to be in the best interest of children with Native American ancestry to be placed in tribal foster homes where they could learn about their heritage. Kyra was placed in the home of Sharon Whitecloud, along with her little sister, Heaven.

On November 7, 2009, Sharon took Kyra to the hospital after reportedly finding her unresponsive. She had a head injury. Doctors were suspicious when they found that Kyra had been taken to the hospital at least one hour and thirty minutes after she received the head injury, and multiple bruises on Kyra's body in various stages of healing. They suspected abuse.

Kyra had bleeding in her brain, and she was put on life support. She was soon declared brain dead, and taken off life support on November 10, 2009. Her death was investigated as a homicide and all four of the other children that lived with Sharon Whitecloud were removed from her custody. 

Sharon Whitecloud was found guilty of second degree manslaughter. Sharon admitted to taking a sleeping pill which, according to her, caused her to drop Kyra on her head twice. It was also known that she had shaken little Kyra. 

 

Brianna Kichelle Hester

Brianna Kichelle Hester

November 17, 2007 - May 1, 2009

Brianna Kichelle Hester was born on November 17, 2007. Her mother had previously had a surgery that would significantly weaken the chances of her conceiving a child. Everyone was so pleasantly surprised when Brianna's mother announced her pregnancy. It was a high risk pregnancy, however, and Brianna was born prematurely. She was described as a 'happy and content' baby.

About a year after Brianna was born, Brianna's mother met a man and soon, she was in a relationship with him. Just before Brianna's first birthday, she and her mother moved in with this man. However, shortly after this, the rest of Brianna's family began to notice that they hadn't been seeing her as often as they used to.They also noticed that the few times they did see her, she had bruises. When questioned about this, Brianna's mother said that Brianna was only just learning to walk, and that she fell down a lot.

This seemed reasonable because Brianna had a slight turn in her leg. They assumed that that was why Brianna had been falling down a lot. Brianna's pediatrician told them that it was nothing to worry about, and that Brianna would probably outgrow this soon. Just three months after this, however, Brianna stopped walking completely.

Brianna's mother took her to the hospital and they did multiple tests. Everything came back normal. The only diagnosis the doctors could come up with was "acute cerebral ataxia". They said it was probably caused by an unknown virus. After Brianna was released from the hospital, she slowly began improving. She started to walk again, little by little. She still had a limp, however. Her family also noticed more and more bruises on her.

DEFACS came to check on Brianna one time, but her caseworker never actually saw Brianna. Brianna's mother called her family 'overly-dramatic' and started spending less and less time with them. This also meant that her family saw less and less of Brianna. Brianna's grandmother stopped by unexpectedly at Brianna's mother's home. Brianna's mother answered the door with Brianna in her arms. Brianna's grandmother wasn't invited inside the house though, and she noticed that Brianna had a fresh cut above her eye, and a few new bruises. Brianna's mother said that she fell down while trying to learn to walk again. Brianna's knuckles were red, and Brianna's mother said that Brianna 'picked at herself'. Brianna's grandmother contacted DEFACS, who promised to check on Brianna the very next day.

The next day, when DEFACS did visit Brianna's home, they discovered that she had been beaten to death. She died of blunt force trauma to the head. Brianna's mother's boyfriend, Daryl Keon Jones, 35, was sentenced to life in prison for abusing and murdering little Brianna.

Tyler Christopher and Ariana Socorro Payne

Tyler Christopher Payne

November 15, 2001 - July/August, 2006

Ariana Socorro Payne

October 18, 2002 -July/August, 2006

Tyler and Ariana were born to Jamie Hallam and Christopher Payne. Jamie and Christopher divorced in 2003. Jamie had full custody of Tyler and Ariana, and in 2003, a  judge ordered that Christopher wasn't allowed to see his children. 

After not seeing them for years, Christopher contacted Jamie and asked if he could see his children. Over these years, Christopher had gotten a new job, and a new girlfriend. He had even had a son with this new girlfriend. It seemed as if he were getting things back together. In January of 2006, after several supervised visits, Jamie allowed Tyler and Ariana to visit their father.

A few days after this, Christopher wanted Tyler and Ariana to have even longer visits with him. Since things seemed to be going alright, Jamie allowed this as well. Little did Jamie know that she would never see Tyler or Ariana ever again.

In March of 2006, Jamie hadn't seen her children in weeks. She took her court ordered custody agreement and contacted the police. They contacted the Child Protective Services, but they ordered the police to keep the children with their father.

In April of 2006, CPS closed the case and Tyler and Ariana were kept with their father. They didn't check Christopher's background. If they had, they would have found several assault charges. They also didn't check the background of Reina Gonzales who was living with Christopher Payne. They also failed to check on Tyler and Ariana after this. 

In February of 2007, managers of an abandoned storage shed called police to report a foul-smelling tub. In the tub, police found the body of Ariana Payne. She was three years old. Ariana's body was stuffed into a plastic trash bag, a designed bag, and then sealed in a plastic tub. Shortly after this, Tyler was reported missing.

In the beginning, Reina Gonzales said that she didn't know that Ariana had died. She claimed to have believed that the children had been sent back to live with their mother. Then, in a video taped testimony, she spoke of what happened in the last months of the young children's lives.

"He told me not to worry, they were his children. After that, I started getting high on heroin more so I could block out what was happenin to the children." - Reina

Reina said that Christopher hit Tyler with a belt and 'opened his head up'. She said she knew that the wound was becoming infected. Reina claimed that she and Christopher moved out of the house, but they left Tyler and Ariana in a closet.

Reina admitted that she knew that Tyler and Ariana were locked in the closet with no way to get food or water. She also knew that Ariana had died first, and Tyler was forced to stay in the closet with his sister's dead body until he died as well. Reina said they went back to clean the closet and she put both of the children's bodies in a tub. She tells police that Christopher then put them in the trunk and took them to storage.

Although Tyler's body was never found, he is presumed dead. Police believe Tyler's body was dumped in a nearby landfill. An autopsy revealed that Ariana had suffered 12 broken ribs and a broken right shoulder. This happened before she died. The fractures were in different stages of healing. Her right ulna and left fibula were also injured. It was revealed that she had a broken back near, or at the time of her death.

Riley Ann Sawyers

Riley Ann Sawyers

March 11, 2005 - July 24, 2007

 

Riley Ann Sawyers was born on March 11, 2005. Her parents were Robert Sawyers and Kimberly Dawn Trenor. Riley's family lived with Robert's mother, Sheryl. At this time, Sheryl was Riley's primary caregiver. In October of 2006, Kimberly filed domestic abuse charges and left the house, taking Riley with her. She seemingly 'disappeared'.

On October 29, 2007, the police department received a call from a fisherman who found a storage container on an empty island. This island was only accessible by boat. He tells the police that he believes there are human remains inside the container. When the police arrived at the scene, they discover that there are human remains inside the container, and that they seemed to belong to a small child.

 

Police released sketches (above) of how they think Riley may have looked when she was alive. They didn't know who she was yet, so they called her 'Baby Grace'. Police started to ask the public for help in identifying the body of 'Baby Grace'. Some people believed it was the remains of Madeleine McCann, although that was soon ruled out.

'Baby Grace' had been wearing a pink pullover top with a matching broom skirt. She had purple velcro-tenis-shoes that lit up. She wore Disney brand panties. An autopsy revealed that the little girl had been dead for two weeks and that she had skull fractures. The case was now classified as a homicide.

In November of 2007, Baby Grace's story had reached many people. There had already been hundreds of tips called in, but none of them helped identify 'Baby Grace'. While they wait for her identification, a wooden cross with 'Baby Grace' carved into it was placed on the island her body was discovered on. Finally, soon after the cross is placed, Sheryl Sawyers calls the authorities and says that she saw the sketch of Baby Grace on the internet and she fears that it may be her granddaughter, Riley Ann Sawyers.

She asked if there was a missing report filed for Riley but there wasn't. Sheryl tells authorities that she hadn't seen her granddaughter since May of 2007. This, of course, was because Kimberly Dawn Trenor took Riley and left, not telling anyone where she went. After Kimberly left, it turns out that she spent a lot of her time playing on the internet. Specifically, The Online World of Warcraft. This is where she met Royce Zeigler II. 

Royce seemed kind. He sent Kimberly a diamond necklace, and presents to give to Riley. In early June of 2007, Kimberly married Royce and moved in with him, taking Riley with her. Royce believed that Riley should say words like 'Sir', and 'Ma'am' to adults. When Riley didn't do this, he thought that corporal punishment was the only way Riley would learn.

According to a videotaped confession, on July 24, 2007, Kimberly and Royce beat Riley with two leather belts and held her head under the water in the bathtub. Royce also picked Riley up by her hair and threw her across the room. Riley hit the wall and fell down, causing her head to slam into the tile floor in the bathroom.

Eventually, Riley was unable to stand up when she was told to do so. They soon realized that she was dead. They went to Wal-Mart and purchased trash bags, cement mix, and a plastic storage container. They put Riley's body in the trash bags, and then into the plastic storage container. They left his container in their shed for some time before dumping it into the bay.

Kimberly Dawn Trenor received a life sentence with the possibility of parole in 38 years. Royce Zeigler II was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. The island Riley was found on is now called "Riley's Island'.

Kelsey Shelton Smith-Briggs

Kelsey Shelton Smith-Briggs

December 28, 2002 - October 11, 2005

Kelsey Shelton Smith-Briggs was born on December 28, 2002. Her parents were Raye Dawn Smith and Lance Briggs. They were already divorced. It was said that they were divorced because of domestic abuse. Lance reportedly punched Raye Dawn Smith so hard in the stomach that she suffered a miscarriage in 2000.

Kelsey lived with her mother and Lance Briggs didn't know that he was her father until three months after she was born. After he found that she was his daughter, he and his family began spending time with her as well, although she still lived with her mother.

In January of 2005 when Kelsey was two years old, her mother began seeing a man named Michael Porter. Eventually, Michael Porter moved in with Kelsey and Raye Dawn. It was around this time signs of child abuse were noticed by Kelsey's day care provider and her family. Kelsey was bounced back and forth between the custody of her mother, paternal grandparents, and the state of Oklahoma (where she lived.) Finally, Judge Craig Key stated that Kelsey's abuser was 'unknown' and he placed her back with her mother and stepfather, Mike Porter, who she called 'Daddy Mike'.

On October 11, 2005, Kelsey's mother left Kelsey in Mike Porter's care while she went to pick his seven year old daughter up from school. When Raye Dawn left, Kelsey was taking a nap. She was only wearing a T-shirt because they didn't have very many pull-ups left. By the time Raye Dawn came back, Kelsey was being loaded into an ambulance. Raye Dawn noticed that Kelsey was wearing a pull-up and when she asked Mike about it, he told her that he didn't want people thinking 'things' about him.

Kelsey passed away on the way to the hospital. Her cause of death was listed as 'blunt force trauma to the abdomen' this means that someone hit or kicked her so hard in the stomach, it killed her. There were bruises all over her small body, and evidence that she had been sexually assaulted. Child pornography was later found on her stepfather's computer. In court, Mike Porter was charged with sexual assault and first degree murder. However, in February of 2007, he pleaded guilty to enabling child abuse and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Kelsey's mother Raye Dawn Smith was charged with enabling child abuse. She was sentenced to 27 years in prison. Many people believe that Raye Dawn Smith was wrongfully convicted. To learn more about this, go to 'freekelseysmom.com'. 

Facts About Kelsey:

• Kelsey attended baby pageants and was once crowned 'Miss Personality'.
• When Lance Briggs married Kelsey's stepmother (Ashley) Kelsey attended the wedding and was called the 'mini-bride'.
• Kelsey's favorite movies were Brother Bear, The Fox and the Hound, and Shrek.
• Kelsey couldn't pronounce the word 'Fox' very well, and when she said it, it sounded like the 'f-word'.
• Kelsey had cabbage patch dolls, and she would twirl her fingers in their hair to help her go to sleep.
•  Kelsey was a very independent little girl. When people would try to help her do something, she'd say "No, I do it."
• Kelsey was known as a biter. One of her victims was sometimes a puppy named Mandy. She would proudly go up to her parents and grandparents and say "I bite!"
• When Kelsey needed to get somewhere and someone was in her way, she'd say " 'Scuse me." (Excuse me).
• Kelsey's favorite foods were pizza, and pickles.

•  The day before she was killed, Kelsey counted all the way to fourteen. She had never counted that high before.
• If something didn't go the way it was supposed to, she would hit her hand against her forehead and say "Oh man!"
• She knew how to use the phone very well. She would have conversations on the phone with her daddy. Sometimes she would talk to him even if he wasn't on the other line.
• She loved sitting with people while they read to her. It was her Grandpa Briggs' favorite thing to do.
• Kelsey didn't like nap time, but one day, when her grandma, Kathie Briggs needed her to take a nap, she had saw on 'Super Nanny' the best way to put a child to sleep. She figured she'd try it on Kelsey. She put Kelsey in her bed, told her 'goodnight' and gave her a kiss. When she left, Kelsey kept peeking around the corner and looking at her. On the seventh time her grandmother tried to put her back to bed, she took her hand and said "No, I do it. I walk." and then she put herself to sleep!
• Kelsey called her stepfather, Michael Porter 'Daddy Mike' and her stepmother, Ashley, 'Mommy Ashley'

 

•   In May of 2005, Kelsey was interviewed about who hurt her legs. She was asked if someone hurt her and she nodded her head 'yes'. When they asked who, she wouldn't answer. When they asked if she knew what 'hurt' meant, she nodded 'yes' again and pointed to her casts.
•  Kelsey's full name was originally Kelsey Shelton Smith, but Lance wanted her to also have his last name, so her name was changed to Kelsey Shelton Smith-Briggs.
• Mike Porter's seven year old daughter said that she saw her father abuse Kelsey until she threw up. She said that Mike was nice to her when other people were around.
• When someone had something Kelsey wanted, she would say "Can I 'hab' (have) it?"

• Kelsey loved playing in water, eating, playing outside, and going to the zoo.

Clips of Kelsey talking.