Melissa Towne, a Texas mother who has been accused of stabbing and killing her 5-year-old daughter, has a history of mental illness. The victim was taken to the wooded area where she was strangled for nearly 45 minutes by her mother.
Child Shouted, "I've Been Good" Before Being Killed
The New York Post reported that the 37-year-old Texas woman took her daughter, Nichole, to Spring Creek Park in Tomball on Sunday.
After getting to a secluded spot, Towne made her daughter get down on the knees as she proceeded to slit her throat with knife. The outlet reported that the traumatized child kept on pleading her mother saying, "I've been good!" even as Towne kept telling her to "Stop fighting it!"
As per the court documents after realizing that the 5-year-old was still alive despite the stabbings, Towne proceeded to place a trash bag over Nichole's head and went on to strangle her for 30 to 45 minutes.
After wrapping the child's mutilated body inside a mesh laundry bag, Towne kept it on the floor of her Jeep Cherokee and drove to the emergency room of the HCA Tomball Hospital.
Towne Called Her Child Evil
ABC 13 reported that Towne told the investigators that she wanted to kill her daughter "because she was an evil child and did not want to deal with her anymore."
After reaching the hospital, Towne asked hospital staff for a wheelchair claiming that "her daughter's body was hurting." As per the deputies, a nurse found Nichole in the vehicle with her body partially wrapped in bags and with a laceration visible on the neck. She was pronounced dead at 12:10 p.m. Police found a knife in Towne's pocket when she was arrested, officials said adding that Towne has been charged with capital murder and was booked into the Harris County Jail.
KWTX reported that Towne's court-appointed attorney, James Stafford claimed that the 37-year-old mother has been diagnosed as a schizophrenic and has been institutionalized at least nine times due to mental illness. "There's no doubt there's some dark demons haunting her," Stafford told the reporters.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services revealed that Towne "does have prior history with CPS, but specific details of CPS investigations are confidential according to law. "Ms. Towne has three additional children ranging in age from 2 years old to 18 years old, who are safe and have been living with other family members," the agency added as per the outlet.
