DDN: A mother in Tennessee was charged with murdering her son, who was one year old, and her daughter, who was four years old, by suffocating them with a “Lilo & Stitch” blanket. The details of the case were presented in court this week.
Within the context of the deaths of her children Vista and Eli Chandler, Jessica Chandler, who is 29 years old, is being charged with first-degree murder as well as aggravated child abuse.
Following the discovery by the children’s father that they were unresponsive on October 29, the Johnson City Police Department went to the residence. Officer Gary Price testified on Tuesday that he arrived to the 911 call and found the father performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on one of the children in the front yard.
This information was obtained from a courtroom report that was produced by the local CBS affiliate on Tuesday.
In the meantime, Eli moved inside the house, medical personnel arrived to provide assistance to Vista and Eli. When he went inside, he stated that he discovered Chandler in the bathtub with cuts down her arms.
Price stated in his testimony that he observed a pack of razor blades and utility knives laying on the side of the bathtub.
In spite of the fact that Chandler was rushed to the hospital by paramedics, the children were beyond rescuing. Detectives started looking into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two young children. They were able to quickly collect important pieces of information.
Michael Fowler, the investigator, told the court that he found three notes that were affixed to various cupboards that were located close to the entryway.
He stated that Chandler had sent them a letter in which she admitted to the murders and stated that she intended to be a suicide victim. In her testimony, Fowler stated that her motivation was partially due to the fact that she believed she was unable to protect them.
At first, the police believed that Chandler may have poisoned the children because there was no evidence of any kind of trauma to the children.
A following interview with Chandler, on the other hand, revealed still another significant piece of the clues.
In her testimony, Fowler stated, “She pointed out on the property list that she used a ‘Lilo & Stitch’ blanket to first suffocate Vista in her bed.” Chandler also acknowledged to suffocating Eli in the same method for the same reason. It would appear that they are utilizing a blanket that features characters from the Disney musical.
It was determined during an autopsy that the youngsters had died from suffocation caused by asphyxiation.
According to WJHL, the judge came to the conclusion that there was sufficient evidence to have the matter presented to a grand jury. Her bond is set at two million dollars, and she is still being held at the Washington County Jail. On March 31, she is scheduled to appear in court again.
Eli had just recently celebrated his first birthday, which was a little more than a week before he passed away. Their brief but cherished lives were depicted in the obituary that was written for Vista and Eli:
“Both children were perfect in every way. Vista loved riding her e-bike, swinging, playing in her sandbox, building forts, and playing with playdough. Eli just started walking and was into everything. He loved eating real food, playing with trucks, flopping around on the bed with his sister, and being outside in the yard. They were inseparable. Vista was the best big sister and had the biggest heart and she picked flowers for everybody. Eli was the happiest baby and was always smiling and laughing.”
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