Mom arrested after bringing dead daughter to hospital claiming her neck was injured in wreck
ALEXANDRIA, La. - The mother of a 5-year-old girl brought to an Alexandria hospital said the girl's neck was injured in an auto accident, but police now have arrested her on a second-degree murder charge.
Jasmine V. Anderson, 24, was found and arrested in Bunkie on Tuesday. She was booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center and a bond was set at $500,000.
The Alexandria Police Department was notified July 17 after medical personnel determined the girl, Audrey Lynn Chelette, was dead when she was brought to the emergency room.
The initial report stated Anderson claimed that they had been in a wreck that caused the injury to the girl's neck. But Alexandria traffic officers could not find the area where she said it happened despite hours of searching, the release says.
"The injury also did not seem consistent with what would occur during a crash," the release says.
The site was found the next day, July 18, around 4 p.m., but "evidence indicated it was not a vehicle crash as described by Anderson," the release says.
An autopsy the same day confirmed that the neck wound caused Audrey's death.
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Anderson was booked into the Avoyelles Parish Detention Center after her arrest, then transferred to Alexandria Police Department headquarters for an interview. So far, she has no court dates scheduled.
The case remains active, according to the department.
"The release of information must be carefully restricted due to the sensitive nature of the crime," continues the release. "Further information may be forthcoming as it is gathered and confirmed, but certain details, such as the location of the crime, are not being released at this time."
The department said last week that it would be premature to link this case to others.
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Anderson's son, 4-year-old Christopher “CJ” Dawayne Chelette, died in April and the father of both children, 20-year-old Christopher Dawayne “Critter” Chelette, died in February 2016, according to their obituaries for both . The funeral and burial for Audrey was held Monday.
Chief Jerrod King thanked his officers and Rapides Parish District Attorney Phillip Terrell for their work on the case.
“The wrongful death of a child is a horrible thing to see, and these men and women have maintained their professionalism and pursued the case with their customary diligence," King said in the release. “I want to specifically commend Sgt. Butler and Cpl. Daigre of our Traffic Division, who spent hours painstakingly recreating the suspect’s movements and discovering the location of the crime. I also want to thank District Attorney Phillip Terrell, with whom we’ve been working on this case since the beginning to ensure a complete and thorough investigation.”
Follow Melissa Gregory on Twitter: @journoMGregory
This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Louisiana mom arrested after bringing dead daughter to hospital
