Then he texted Danielle again: “Give her a kiss for me. Just miss her, that’s all. Love y’all.”
At 12:13 a.m. on February 2nd, Brandon drove to a Walmart and dumped Kennedy’s car seat behind the building near a dumpster.
What he didn’t know was that while he was buying gifts, Officer Cody Sutton had discovered a tan Chevy Cruz parked on the wrong side of Sedwick and Levi with a shattered window. He ran the plates. The car was registered to Danielle Hy.
Officers were dispatched to the home on Windrest Drive. They found Danielle’s body lying in a ditch near her car. No sign of the 2-day-old baby.
Police arrived at April Campbell’s door later that night. Danielle was gone. Kennedy was missing.
Around 1 a.m., Brandon showed up at Artisha’s house. They both got in her car. He told her Danielle’s family was looking for him.
At 10:07 a.m., Memphis police detained both of them.
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At 8:45 a.m. on February 2nd, a statewide Amber Alert was issued for Kennedy Hoy: 2 days old, last seen wearing a black and white polka dot onesie and pink pants, believed to be with her father, Brandon Isabelle.
Brandon was taken to the Memphis Police Department’s homicide office. The interrogation lasted hours. His story changed multiple times. First, he said he gave Danielle baby clothes and she left alive. Then he admitted he met her in a secluded area. Then he said he left Kennedy in her car seat by the river. Then he admitted he removed her from the car seat and placed her by the water.
And then Brandon said the words detectives hadn’t even suggested yet.
He described pulling the trigger. Dragging her body. Taking Kennedy to Mud Island. Throwing her into the Mississippi.
When detectives asked why, Brandon’s answer was chilling in its simplicity.
He was trying to get his life situated. He simply didn’t want the child.
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From February 2nd through February 7th, a massive search operation launched along the Mississippi River. Memphis police. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. Dive teams. Helicopters. Drones. Cadaver dogs. All searching in frigid temperatures.
“I just want my grandbaby,” April Campbell told reporters. “That’s all I want. Her sister wants her to come home. She keeps calling asking where she is. I can’t tell her.”
The only thing they found was Kennedy’s baby hat, sitting atop overgrown weeds near the water’s edge. Her body was never recovered.
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