Man charged with killing woman and his 2-day-old baby in Memphis
A 25-year-old man was charged with murder this week after his 2-day-old baby went missing and her mother was fatally shot. In an affidavit filed Wednesday, police say Brandon Isabelle admitted to luring the child's mother to a certain area before shooting her and throwing the baby, Kennedy Hoyle, into a body of water.
Isabelle is charged with two counts of first degree murder, one count of murder in the perpetration of aggravated kidnapping, especially aggravated kidnapping, and tampering with evidence, police said.
The mother was identified as Danielle Hoyle, 27. Police are still searching for the Kennedy Hoyle's remains, but had to pause the search late Wednesday night due to inclement weather.
According to the affidavit, Isabelle waived his right to an attorney and spoke to police directly after being brought in as a suspect in the death of Danielle Hoyle. Isabelle allegedly told officers that he "lured" Hoyle to a certain area before he shot her. He then said he drove Kennedy to Island Park and the Upper Mud Island Boat Ramp, where he "tossed" the baby into the water.
The investigation began late Tuesday night after Memphis police said officers found an abandoned vehicle in Whitehaven, Tennessee. Police found a 27-year-old woman near the car who had been fatally shot.
— Memphis Police Dept (@MEM_PoliceDept) February 2, 2022
In a press release, Memphis police said they were told the woman had the 2-day-old with her, but the baby was not found in the car.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an AMBER Alert for Kennedy Hoyle on Wednesday morning. The baby is 6 pounds and 17 inches long. When she was last seen, she was in the presence of her mother and wearing a black and white polka dot onesie with pink pants, according to police.
During the investigation, police found Kennedy's abandoned car seat near a Walmart dumpster in Whitehaven, CBS affiliate WREG-TV reports.
Family members told CBS affiliate WREG-TV that they last heard from Danielle Hoyle on Tuesday night as she was driving the baby to the hospital.
"I just want my grandbaby, and I want my daughter to come home. That's all I want. At least tell me what's going on," Hoyle's mother said. "They said they got like 50 police looking for her. My thing is everybody should be looking for her. She's a newborn."
Police took Isabelle into custody Wednesday after his testimony. He is being held without bond and is scheduled to have his first arraignment hearing on Friday, WREG-TV reports.