A devastated father found out through Facebook that his 3-year-old daughter died after being abused by her stepfather
35-year-old Kellon Edwards, a Brooklyn-based father, found out that his 3-year-old daughter Bella died on April 2 through Facebook. He got the news on April 4, which was two days after the toddler's stepfather allegedly abused her physically and sexually before she breathed her last.
Bella was pronounced dead on Monday and the police have said that the child seemed to have been physically and sexually abused.
Her devastated biological father revealed that the mother to his daughter and his ex-partner, Shamika Gonzalez, did not tell him about the tragic incident. He told the New York Post that he found out about the tragic death only on Facebook on April 4.
Edwards said that his mother had seen a post on Facebook and told him about it. He said: "I didn't hear anything from [Gonzalez] until 7am today. Nobody told me anything and when she did reach out, she told me she was 'sorry'."
32-year-old Mark Jenkins, the stepfather, has been charged with murder and assault of the toddler. He had been babysitting Bella and the toddler's infant brother because the mother was away from home at the time.
The Queens District Attorney, Richard A. Brown, said in a press conference that Jenkins, who is an ex-convict and who is originally from Rockaway Park, was alone with the two young children for almost eight hours the day of the crime.
Brown said: "This is a terribly disturbing case. The victim here is an innocent little girl, whose body revealed traumatic abuse injuries." Robert Boyce, the NYPD Chief of Detectives, believed that little Bella bled internally after she was beaten near her abdomen. The toddler died shortly after the assault.
Edwards told the New York Post that he had never met Jenkins and that his ex-partner Gonzalez met the child murderer at an Applebee's restaurant where they both worked at that time.
He said: "I’ve never had a conversation with him, which seems weird to me that this man never even had a conversation with the child’s father and wanted to take care of her."
Gonzalez found her young daughter unconscious on a bed when she went back to the home in Rockaway Park later on in the day on April 2. Jenkins did not utter a word when the investigators were questioning him about the crime.
Brown said in the press conference: "The defendant - who resided with the child’s mother - now faces the possibility of life imprisonment."
Edwards spoke to the New York Post and told them: "I’m devastated... I’m grieving." The distraught father had been keeping up with the details of his daughter's death and it's all thanks to the 100th Precinct. Bella can be seen in almost all pictures on Facebook as a smiling little girl who posed for the camera.
Gonzalez posted a touching tribute to her daughter on Facebook: "Bella I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you. This feels like a bad dream I can't wake up from. You was loved by everyone and shared so many funny memories."
"I'm going to miss all the times you kissed and hugged me everyday and miss hearing you say Hi Loggy, I'm your big sister. Please watch over me, Logan and the family. We all love you so much!"