Hannah Landon: Louisiana woman accused of killing Bella Fontenelle assaulted 6-year-old girl's mother during argument
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: Hannah Landon, 43, who has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her boyfriend's 6-year-old daughter, Bella Fontenelle, and leaving her body outside the child's mother's house, apparently had a prior confrontation with the victim's mother. Landon also filed for a restraining order against the victim's mother which the judge denied. Fontenelle's body was discovered inside a 10-gallon chlorine bucket outside her mother's house in Harahan, Louisiana, a small suburb of New Orleans on Wednesday, April 26.
Shocking surveillance footage showed the suspected killer casually walking in the direction of the child's mother's house while pulling a wagon that contained a white bucket, where the child's lifeless body was stuffed inside. "To know that she was pulling a little baby stuffed into a bucket makes you physically ill," Ken Livaudais said. Landon faces first-degree murder and obstruction of justice.
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(Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office)
Hannah Landon's previous run-in with Bella Fontenelle's mom
Jefferson Parish court records revealed that Landon had been accused of assaulting Fontenelle's mother at a country club in Harahan back in June 2021. The victim had reportedly called the police after Landon grabbed her hair and slapped her during an argument at a swim meet until a bystander intervened. The report states that the victim sustained scratches to her face and hand as a result of the incident. According to reports, Landon was "extremely uncooperative" and accused the child's mother of striking her first. She was issued a Harahan municipal summons for simple battery, as per NOLA. Landon later filed a temporary restraining order against Fontenelle's mother.
Furthermore, there were several other run-ins between Landon and Fontenelle's mother and aunt. On March 17, 2021, Landon was allegedly involved in an altercation with the mother during which Landon alleged that she threatened her by saying "I will hurt you." On August 5, 2021, a judge denied Landon's request to make the restraining order against Fontenelle's mother permanent.
Police rule out involvement of Bella Fontenelle's parents in her death investigation
Fontenelle's father reported her and Landon missing after he was unable to find them on Wednesday morning. Police arrived at the mother's house to find a closed, ten-gallon chlorine bucket on the front lawn. Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said: "We believe Bella was killed at the father's house and then transported over to the mother's house and then taken out of a wagon. He added, "When [police] opened up the bucket, they found the six-year-old deceased inside that bucket."
Authorities do not believe the child's biological parents had any involvement in her death. Lopinto said Bella's parents were shattered. He said, "Dad went through extensive interviews today, and we don’t believe he was involved in the murder by any means. "As you can imagine, both him and the mother are extremely upset, as you would expect of anyone who lost a 6-year-old child unexpectedly." According to Jefferson County Coroner Gerry Cvitanovich, the child's body exhibited "multiple injuries." However, the specific cause of her death has not been released to the public due to the ongoing investigation.
The principal of St. Matthew the Apostle Catholic School in River Ridge, where Fontenelle was a kindergartner, honored the young girl. Principal Tony Bonura said, "It is with heavy hearts and great sorrow that we write to you. We have been informed by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office that a kindergarten student here at St. Matthew the Apostle was found dead today. This is indeed a horrific tragedy that will impact our school and parish community. Because of the very challenging and sensitive nature of the situation and, in order to help our faculty and families in processing this news, we have made the decision to cancel all classes tomorrow, Thursday, April 27, and Friday, April 28." He added, "We hope that this will give you parents the opportunity to be with your children."