Child stabbed: $15 million bond for Melissa White Towne, Texas mother charged with murder in death of 5-year-old daughter

TOMBALL, Texas– In the case of a Texas woman charged with capital murder, gruesome new details have been revealed after authorities said she admitted killing her 5-year-old daughter.

The woman told authorities her daughter was a “bad child” and that she wanted to end the girl’s life so she wouldn’t have to deal with her anymore.

On Monday morning, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez identified the woman as 37-year-old Melissa White Towne. She was sent to the Harris County Jail.

It was revealed in court that the 5-year-old allegedly yelled “I was good” when her mother tried to strangle her. Towne reportedly told officers she cut the child’s throat before strangling him for 30 to 40 minutes.

According to the sheriff’s latest update, Towne drove to the emergency room at HCA Tomball’s hospital on Sunday and told staff that she had killed her daughter and that the child was in her Jeep Cherokee.

When a nurse went to the mother’s vehicle and opened the door, she found the 5-year-old’s body in a laundry net on the floor of the vehicle, prosecutors said in court.

When they turned the girl over, they found her throat had been cut and strangled. The child was unresponsive and had a laceration and possible ligatures to the neck, Gonzalez said.

The 5-year-old was pronounced dead at 12:10 p.m. Sunday.

Gonzalez said Towne admitted to stabbing the girl at Spring Creek Park in Tomball.

Towne was due to appear in court but was reportedly still in the booking process. Despite her absence, the woman’s charges were read and gruesome new details were revealed. The initial probable cause judge set Towne’s bail at $15 million.

“She said she wanted to get rid of the complainant, so she decided to take her to a hospital. The defendant stated that she wanted to end the applicant’s life because she was a bad child and no longer wanted to deal with her,” prosecutors read in court.

Units searched the park where the woman claimed the incident happened but found no scene related to the child’s death, officials said.

According to authorities, it is unclear whether there were potential witnesses or where the stabbing took place.

HCSO officials said they confirmed the child was not killed in the vehicle.

When deputies conducted a sweep, a knife was found in Towne’s pocket, officials said.

According to authorities, the woman was allegedly homeless, but the sheriff’s office had not yet looked into the matter.

A spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services released the following statement to KTRK-TV in Houston:

“Child Protective Services is investigating this tragic death with law enforcement. The child’s mother, Melissa Towne, has a history of CPS, but specific details of the CPS investigation are confidential by law. Ms. Towne has three other children, aged 2 to 18, who are safe and have been living with other family members.”