A man who was arrested after beating his 5-year-old daughter to death claims he cannot remember anything that occurred during the violent assault.
36-year-old Brandon Reynolds had recently gotten divorced and was given full custody of Sarah Dubois-Gilbeau, his daughter with ex-wife Chantel Dubois.
Reynolds and his daughter had recently moved to New Mexico after living in California, while Dubois continues to live in their previous state of residence.
Dubois has stated that Reynolds lives with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and had difficulty accepting his daughter’s diagnosed autism and meeting its needs.
She believes that a combination of these two factors may have led to his deadly outburst.
The mother did not receive any custody because Reynolds accused her of smoking marijuana.
The incident reportedly began when Reynolds’ daughter did not want to complete her homework for her homeschooling, which sent him into a fit of rage.
A few hours later, at approximately 1 in the morning, Reynolds rang up 911 and stated that young Sarah was experiencing cardiac arrest.
The adaptive frequency response rushed onto the scene, and after giving Sarah some treatment and hurrying her to the University of New Mexico Hospital, they contacted the Albuquerque Police Department due to growing concerns about certain factors.
Sadly, Sarah was pronounced dead on arrival.
Her entire body was covered in injuries, and Reynolds was taken in for questioning.
He confessed to having hit her repeatedly with watersports footwear known as a water shoe.
Given how soft water shoes typically are, it is likely that he had to have used tremendous force to “spank” her.
He only stopped when she was no longer moving, then he brought her to her bed and tried to treat her back with ice.
Her heartbeat began to slow after several hours, and he called 911.
He claims he completely blacked out during the incident, and officers described him as “emotionless” in appearance when he was picked up.
According to a neighbor of Reynolds, who babysat Sarah several times, she heard shouting that night and the sounds of someone being hit soon followed.
She also reportedly heard a lot of banging noises and someone shouting “Get up!”.
Officers investigating the scene found blood staining the living room carpet and the walls.
Dubois wants to give Sarah a proper burial, so she and her ten-year-old son, who is also autistic, need to make the journey to her.
She describes her daughter as sweet, with a positive and fun-loving soul and a smile that won over many hearts, and states that Reynolds’ lack of acceptance of her diagnosis is what led to her death.
She set up a GoFundMe page to finance her daughter’s burial and to help finance the transportation and accommodation costs while she and her son are there.
Meanwhile, Reynolds, who has no history of abuse, remains at the Metropolitan Detention Center of Bernalillo County.
He was arrested on the grounds of intentional abuse, namely of the kind leading to the death of someone aged younger than 13.
