Mom Charged with Killing Daughter Claims 8-Year-Old Was Possessed by Spirits
PHOTO: MICHIGAN STATE POLICE
In Michigan, a harrowing case has emerged involving a mother charged with the murder of her 8-year-old daughter. Authorities have detailed a distressing sequence of events leading to the child’s death, which the mother attributed to otherworldly influences.
Early on a Saturday morning, Wayne police were dispatched to a home on Phyllis Street following reports of a child who was found unresponsive. Upon arrival at 5:19 a.m., they discovered the child in a bedroom, showing no signs of life and bearing extensive injuries to her head and neck, as stated by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
The victim, identified as Lyla Cassel, was in a condition that spoke volumes of her suffering. Reports from ABC7 Detroit highlighted that Lyla was found in a diaper, a decision her mother, 30-year-old Chelsea Renee Duperon, rationalized by citing the girl’s difficulty in using the bathroom due to her injuries.
Tragically, the attempts to save Lyla were in vain, and she was declared dead at the hospital. Chelsea Renee Duperon now faces charges of felony murder and first-degree child abuse in connection to her daughter’s death. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office has pointedly accused Duperon of being responsible for the fatal assault on her child.
The autopsy revealed that Lyla succumbed to blunt force trauma to the head. This case of brutality against the young child has been described by the Wayne County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Erin Wilmoth, as unprecedented in her experience with child abuse cases, underscoring the severity of the violence Lyla endured on March 13, 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 noted by investigators, significantly diminished Lyla’s chances of survival. In a particularly distressing account, Wilmoth described how Duperon prioritized errands over her daughter’s critical state, leaving Lyla to suffer a “slow death.”
Initially, Duperon provided conflicting accounts of the events leading to Lyla’s injuries, including a fall down the stairs. However, her narrative took a turn towards 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 malign spiritual entities.
Despite these assertions, Duperon later expressed a belief that Lyla was recovering, a belief that tragically proved unfounded. Her court appearance saw her entering a plea of not guilty, with the judge ordering her to be held without bond. This case has left a community in shock and mourning, bringing to the forefront the devastating impact of child abuse and the importance of timely intervention in such cases.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
