Melody Townsend: Mom of slain Ana Marie Townsend, 1, played fake baby cries to trick victim's grandparents
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MARKHAM, ILLINOIS: The parents of a one-year-old child who died the night before July 4, 2017, allegedly sought to deceive the victim's grandparents by playing phony baby cries over the phone. Almost six years after the remains of the infant were discovered in an attic, the mother is now facing criminal charges, including one for allegedly helping a fugitive. It is believed that Ana Marie Townsend's mother Melody Townsend, 40, helped the victim's still-unknown father in the wake of their daughter's death.
The victim's remains were found in a garbage bag in the attic of an abandoned, torched house in Markham near I-57, about 20 miles outside of Chicago. According to WGN-TV, the owner had moved into an assisted living facility, leaving the house empty at the time.
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Who is Melody Townsend?
Melody Townsend was recognized as a registered nurse by ABC 7 Chicago. According to the local TV affiliate WLS and State's Attorney's Office Deputy Supervisor Kathryn Morrissey, medically trained Townsend decided to take a shower instead of dialing 911. "When defendant Melody returned, she walked into the hotel room and observed the victim on the bed. The victim appeared to not be breathing and had aspirated. She went to wake up the victim and the victim did not move, and although not cold, she was not body temperature," Morrissey reportedly said.
What are the charges against Melody?
Authorities say Melody was arrested in Illinois. As of Monday, April 17, the 40-year-old has been charged with felony child endangerment and concealing/aiding a fugitive whose identity and the charges have not been identified.
'Fake baby cries from the internet'
Authorities apparently think that Melody and the baby's father were residing in of a hotel when she discovered her daughter unresponsive upon returning home from work. It took two years after the fire for the baby to be found and even longer for charges to be brought.
Prior to the fire, the victim reportedly had been physically abused, had drugs and alcohol in her system, and had been slain. Surprisingly, according to the investigators, Melody's parents, who are also the baby's grandparents, inquired about their granddaughter a number of times in the months following the fire.
One phone call allegedly involved Ana Marie's father playing "fake baby cries from the internet", while the victim's mother tried to make up an excuse for why the cries didn't sound like her baby. According to Townsend, the infant "was not feeling well".
After being shown a police sketch of the child, the mother allegedly lied to one of her parents again, denying that Ana Marie was the child in the sketch. According to WGN, Melody told detectives she had been lying and filled in some of the gaps. According to phone records, she maintained regular contact with the girl's father over the years.
What did Markham police say?
Markham Police Chief Jack Genius told reporters, "We expect more charges in the future" on Thursday, April 13, despite the fact that the prosecution had not yet accused the defendant of covering up a homicidal killing.
The police chief stated that "the child was murdered on or about July 3, 2017," although the case's principal investigator stated more accurately that the infant died of "homicide by undetermined means." The infant's body, according to the authorities, was discovered in the attic after the fire service extinguished a "structure fire" at the abandoned house.
'Eventually, we ended up finding out the child’s mother'
The police chief referred to the victim in the years-long "cold case" only as Baby Jane Doe for the purposes of the presser amid an ongoing investigation. "The house was vacant for some time before the fire," the police chief stated, adding, "The persons who committed this heinous crime chose that location to place the body of the infant." "Eventually, we ended up finding out the child’s mother," whom Genius identified as Melody Townsend.
'This child deserves justice'
Lead investigator Detective Sgt Jessie Jones verified that additional information enabled agents to locate the defendant in California. Chief returned to the podium to discuss the decision to file the case without homicide charges. "The purpose of this has been to let the community and the media know that this baby has not been forgotten," he stated, mentioning the case "evolving as we speak."
Baby Jane Doe has been "on our mind for many years," the chief went on, adding, "It weighed on the entire city." "The ultimate goal is still to find out who killed this child — how this child died," Chief Genius stated. "We want to know who that was, how that happened, and obviously bring them to justice. This child deserves justice," he further said.
'We already have a person in custody'
"This was just to let the community know that that is coming — it’s partially delivered. We already have a person in custody," the top cop further said. "For years, they were worried and scared," he added, alluding to the neighbors who lived next door to the house where Ana Marie was discovered in a plastic bag.
Genius said that the probe had received covert support from other law enforcement agencies across the nation. The police chief summed up the investigation by saying, "It's complicated." Melody is now being held in custody and is due back in court on April 26, according to Cook County jail records examined by Law&Crime.