A 25-year-old father has been charged with murdering his two-year-old daughter after kidnapping her.
On Monday, at about 9:30 a.m., Deontray Flanagan, 25, picked up his daughter, Zevaya Flanagan, from her Houston day care.
Flanagan Got into Argument with Mother, Grabbed Her Cellphone Before Police Chase
Flanagan, who was listed as an approved person to pick up the child, drove to a Walmart where the mother worked. Flanagan and the child's mother got into an argument at the store before he allegedly assaulted her, took her cellphone and left the store in a red Camaro with the child.
Family members and law enforcement agencies were able to track Flanagan's movements using the GPS on his cell phone, sparking a police chase that ended after Flanagan reportedly crashed into other cars and stopped in a field, sparking a standoff.
SWAT officers surrounded the vehicle, and after about 20 minutes, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said they moved in. The toddler was rushed from the car by authorities and taken to the hospital, where she later died.
Deontray Threatened to Harm Zevaya Until Mother Gave Cellphone Password
Initially, authorities said Deontray told them that Zevaya was injured due to her "jumping around the car" during the chase. However, court documents revealed that the child was struck "with or against a blunt object" and then choked.
According to Click2Houston, Deontray was demanding the password to the mother's cellphone and threatened to harm the child until she provided it. When she refused, documents say Flanagan started hitting the child and choking her while still on Facetime with the mother.
After hanging up with the girl's mother, court documents say Flanagan facetimed his the man the mother was currently in a relationship and told him that his daughter "was gone."
Zevaya Gasped for Air While Deontray Choked Her on FaceTime
In an interview with ABC13, the child's mother, Kairsten Watson, said she washaunted by her daughter's last moments alive, which she watched on FaceTime during the police pursuit.
"She was on his lap, and she was gasping for air, and he had his arm around her neck squeezing tighter," Kairsten Watson, Zevaya's mother, recalled. "He said, 'This is what you made me do. All you care about is that man.' I (was) telling him, 'No. Stop, please. This is your daughter. She loves you,' and he's still doing it."
Watson Warned Police Days Before Incident but They Ignored Her Concerns
she feels failed by police leading up to her daughter's death. She said she called police several times just days before the murder, concerned this might happen. Watson added that she and Flanagan had recently broken up.
According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, they responded to at least two calls for service at the mother's home. On March 15, they responded to a terroristic threat and again on March 19, for telephone harassment.
"I told them over and over and over that something was going to be wrong," Watson said. "They could have at least tried to find him, but even with his past, no. I said, 'Are y'all going to wait until something happens to her?'"
According to the sheriff's office, the responding deputy consulted with the Harris County District Attorney's Office, and it was determined that there was insufficient evidence to support filing a criminal charge at the time. A welfare check was also conducted in an attempt to locate Flanagan, but all attempts to find him were unsuccessful.
Watson, though, said she had text messages proving Flanagan threatened to harm their daughter and believes officers brushed her concerns off.
Deontray is currently being held at the Harris County Jail and his bail has been set at $1 million.
