In Michigan, a heartbreaking case has emerged involving a mother accused of the murder of her 8-year-old daughter. Authorities have detailed a harrowing sequence of events that led to the boy’s death, which the mother attributed to otherworldly influences.
Early one Saturday morning, Wayne police were dispatched to a home on Phyllis Street after reports of a child who was found unconscious. Upon arriving at 5:19 a.m., they found the girl in a bedroom, with no signs of life and with extensive injuries to her head and neck, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
The victim, identified as Lyla Cassel, was in a condition that spoke volumes about her suffering. Reports of ABC7 Detroit He highlighted that Lyla was found in a diaper, a decision that her mother, Chelsea Renee Duperon, 30, rationalized by citing the girl’s difficulty using the bathroom due to her injuries.
Tragically, attempts to save Lyla were in vain and she was pronounced dead at the hospital. Chelsea Renee Duperon now faces charges of felony murder and first-degree child abuse in connection with the death of her daughter. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office has pointedly accused Duperon of being responsible for the fatal assault of her son.
The autopsy revealed that Lyla succumbed to blunt force trauma to the head. This case of brutality against the little girl has been described by Wayne County Deputy Prosecutor Erin Wilmoth as unprecedented in her experience with child abuse cases, underscoring the severity of the violence Lyla suffered on March 13 of 2024. Fox 2 Detroit reports.
Despite the assault believed to have occurred days earlier, emergency services were not alerted until it was tragically too late. Wilmoth’s statements in court painted a grim picture of Lyla’s final days, emphasizing the profound swelling and disfigurement caused by the injuries, which led to fatal brain swelling.
The lack of immediate medical attention, as investigators noted, significantly decreased Lyla’s chances of survival. In one particularly harrowing account, Wilmoth described how Duperon prioritized errands over her daughter’s critical condition, leaving Lyla to suffer a “slow death.”
Initially, Duperon provided conflicting accounts of the events that led to Lyla’s injuries, including a fall down the stairs. However, her narrative took a turn toward the supernatural when she claimed to have been influenced by a “spirit or ghost” following her daughter’s “crazy” behavior, as relayed by Sgt. Jason Walters. This claim extended to Duperon’s own injuries, which she attributed to evil spiritual entities.
Despite these claims, Duperon later expressed his belief that Lyla was recovering, a belief that tragically proved unfounded. At her court appearance, she pleaded not guilty and the judge ordered her held without bail. This case has left a community shocked and in mourning, bringing to the fore the devastating impact of child abuse and the importance of timely intervention in such cases.
If you suspect child abuse, call Childhelp’s National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
