Horrific details have emerged about the fatal abuse inflicted on a Canadian baby girl who made headlines nine years ago when she was born during an international flight.
Chloe Guan-Branch tragically died in May 2020 after enduring more than a year of torment at the hands of her stepfather Justin Cassie-Berube, who was found guilty in March of a series of crimes related to the girl’s death.
Her mother, Ada Guan, who shocked the world when she gave birth in 2015 mid-flight while claiming to not even know she was pregnant, refused to take the girl to the hospital for fear that Justin’s abuse would be discovered.
In shocking new details, it was revealed that forensic pathologists discovered a series of wounds across Chloe’s body and concluded she died from a ruptured bladder inflicted on the eve of her fifth birthday.
The horrific case had been hidden from public view until the conclusion of Cassie-Berube’s manslaughter trial, as a court challenge by several Canadian media outlets lifted the publication ban.
Chloe Guan-Branch, who made headlines when she was born during an international flight in 2015, tragically passed away in May 2020 after enduring years of torment at the hands of her stepfather.
Justin Cassie-Berube, pictured hugging Chloe, was found guilty of manslaughter, assault, criminal neglect and failing to provide the necessities of life in March, and carried out a sickening campaign of abuse against the girl.
Chloe was born on Mother’s Day in 2015 aboard an Air Canada flight from Calgary, Canada, to Tokyo, Japan.
His mother, Ada Guan, and father, Wesley Branch, spoke of their surprise at the happy arrival, with Wesley telling reporters upon arrival that he “couldn’t imagine this would have happened, completely unexpectedly.”
Notably, the new parents also quickly disheartened their supporters when they launched a GoFundMe seeking $50,000 because Guan was working part-time and Branch was unemployed, and Branch compared raising a baby to raising a cat.
The young girl’s life had a difficult start, as within a few months Chloe was separated from her parents’ care by the Children’s Aid Society and only returned to Guan when she was three years old, reports the toronto sun.
Chloe’s parents also separated about a year after her birth, and her paternal grandparents said they lost contact with Chloe’s mother’s side of the family after the breakup.
Guan moved with her daughter to Alberta, Canada, and met Cassie-Berube online, before moving with him to Ottawa in February 2019.
The Branch family said their estrangement extended to the point where Chloe died, as they didn’t even know the girl was in Ottawa until police contacted them to inform them of the tragedy.
“We hoped that one day we would be able to meet her. We thought we would remember the day she was born on a plane to Japan,” they wrote in a victim impact statement before Cassie-Berube’s sentencing.
Chloe’s mother Ada Guan shocked the world when she gave birth in 2015 mid-flight and claimed she didn’t even know she was pregnant.
Chloe’s father (pictured left cradling the baby girl after the mid-air birth) split from Ada Guan (right, also after the birth) about a year after Chloe’s birth and her family said they became estranged. .
Cassie-Berube told investigators she would stop drinking and admitted she needed help if she was “the monster that hurt a girl.”
At Cassie-Berube’s trial, Guan testified against him because she said he often erupted into fits of rage and used little Chloe as a “punching bag,” a dynamic that only worsened when the trio was left alone during the pandemic. Covid-19.
She also testified that Cassie-Berube ‘grabbed her and shook her, spanked her, put soap in her mouth, smacked her lips and face, threw her on the bed, squeezed her ankles, grabbed her forearm, pushed her toward ahead and hit her. her on top of her head with a wooden spoon.
According to a judge’s summary of his trial, Cassie-Berube often threatened to commit suicide if Guan left him, while repeatedly beating Chloe at her home.
A neighbor testified that he tried to explain Chloe’s injuries with excuses such as her falling out of bed, as the neighbor recalled several incidents, including one around Christmas 2019 when he saw the girl’s face was “shocking, bruised.” and beaten.”
In text messages reported by the Toronto Sun, Guan complained about his stepfather’s injuries, but seemed more concerned that they would notice.
“I just don’t want to see his face all bruised and fucked up anymore.” I don’t want to go out and have to cover her face just because she has marks. That is suspicious.’
He replied: ‘Okay. Sorry, I understand what you mean, you have every right to yell and get angry. I’m sorry for what I did.’
The ordeal continued until Chloe’s fifth birthday, when she suffered a ruptured bladder. Cassie-Berube, who admitted to much of her abuse, claimed the injury occurred when the girl fell over the rail of her bed and was not the result of a punch.
He also made the same claim in his first police interview, during which the stepfather said he often passed out while drinking and reportedly said he needed help if he was “the monster that hurt a little girl.”
“I am the one who caused everything that is happening now,” he reportedly admitted.
The release of a court order revealed sickening details of the abuse inflicted on Chloe.
Chloe was found in a dirty bed after complaining of agonizing stomach pain for days, and police said she had a “shocking” number of injuries when she was found.
A forensic pathologist ruled that the bladder rupture was the result of blunt impact abdominal trauma to a full bladder, which left her with painful symptoms that included a hard stomach, vomiting, lack of appetite and an “imperative” need for medical attention.
His other injuries included a laceration and a serious head injury caused by a blunt force, rib fractures and a series of bruises to his arms, abdomen and legs.
Investigators added that they also found “possible cigarette burn marks on the lower left hip area.”
Guan testified that despite her injuries, she was prevented from taking Chloe to the hospital because Cassie-Berube threatened her, saying the bruises would “raise a lot of questions.”
Chloe’s cause of death was listed as acute uremia, a fatal condition caused by waste entering the bloodstream.
At trial, Cassie-Berube was found guilty of all six charges she faced, listed as involuntary manslaughter, assault, criminal neglect and failing to provide for the five-year-old’s necessities of life.
The stepfather is scheduled to be sentenced on May 24.
