The older sister of 2-day-old Kennedy Hoyle is racked with grief after her mother and baby sister were allegedly killed by Brandon Isabelle, the newborn baby’s father.
Danielle Hoyle, 27, was found shot in the head in her car on Tuesday night in the Whitehaven section of Memphis. Police launched an Amber Alert to find baby Kennedy, but when questioned, Isabelle confessed to throwing her in a nearby river. He was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, murder in the perpetration of aggravated kidnapping, especially aggravated kidnapping, and tampering/fabricating with evidence.
Hoyle’s older child, a 10-year-old daughter named Jariyah, is reportedly distraught over the deaths. “It’s a lot,” Danielle’s grieving mother, April Campbell, told PEOPLE.
“Danielle was the kindest lady you could ever meet,” Campbell added. “She didn’t bother anyone.” The grandmother also noted that the little girl and her slain mother “were best friends.”
“All my grandbaby knows is my daughter,” she said of Jariyah. “All she does is cry and say she wants her mama.”
“This has taken a toll on the whole family,” she tearfully added.
A GoFundMe effort has been established to help Campbell pay for funeral arrangements. On it, she writes: “On February 2, 2022, our family should have been rejoicing in the birth of Kennedy Hoyle. Unfortunately, a nightmare unraveled and we lost not only Danielle but her newborn daughter Kennedy who was only 2 days old through the senseless murdering of them both.”
“Our family was not prepared for this,” Campbell continues. “Danielle was a hard-working mother who provided the very best care for her surviving daughter Jariyah. We are devastated by this tragedy and we are asking our community to help.”
The search for Kennedy’s remains continues near Island Park and the Upper Mud Island Boat Ramp in Whitehaven. “I have to put my eyes on Kennedy to know she is gone,” says Campbell.
As previously reported, according to the Family Safety Center, 24% of domestic violence incidents in Tennessee occur in Memphis. In an analysis of homicide data released in 2010, Tennessee was on the list of the 10 states where men murder their romantic partners at the highest rates.
Deaths attributed to domestic violence nearly doubled in Memphis during the pandemic in 2020, compared to the year before, according to WKNO. Police and advocates say the pandemic has turned many of the factors that fuel domestic violence, such as unemployment and isolation, into a powder keg for abusive relationships.
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