UPDATE: Brandon Isabelle appeared in court in Memphis on Monday. See coverage here.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A young father charged with killing his two-day-old child and her mother admitted that he lured the woman to her death, then took the baby and threw her into the Mississippi River, according to details outlined in court documents.
Brandon Isabelle, who turned 25 on Tuesday, is charged with two counts of murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, murder in connection with kidnapping and tampering with evidence.
Danielle Hoyle, 27, was found dead Tuesday outside her vehicle on a street in Whitehaven. The drivers-side window of the Chevy Cruze was knocked out.
Police say Hoyle had been shot in the head. Her family said when she left the house, she told them she needed to take the baby to the hospital for testing.
Her baby, Kennedy Hoyle, who was the subject of a statewide AMBER Alert on Wednesday, is presumed dead. Crews searched the boat ramp at the north end of Mud Island, but her body had not been recovered Thursday morning.
Police zeroed in on Isabelle, the child’s father, as a suspect on Wednesday evening. During questioning, police say he told them he lured Danielle Hoyle to the intersection of Sedgwick and Levi and shot her.
He then told police that he took Kennedy Hoyle, drove her to the north end of Mud Island where the Wolf River enters the Mississippi River, and threw the child in the water. He also said he threw the weapon in the water.
The baby’s car seat was found near a dumpster outside a Walmart in Whitehaven, police said.
Isabelle was taken into custody Wednesday. He was given no bond and faces an arraignment hearing Friday. His previous record in Shelby County includes only traffic infractions.
The search for Kennedy was suspended on Thursday due to inclement weather. MPD said they will continue the search when the weather permits them to do so.
A Gofundme account has been set up for the family of Danielle and Kennedy Hoyle. You can help here.
