The mother of a 5-year-old girl allegedly beaten to death because she refused to do homework has claimed the girl was autistic and that her father, now accused of killing her, refused to accept her condition.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Brandon Reynolds is accused of murdering his daughter Sarah DuBois-Gilbeau, who died after Reynolds allegedly beat her because the homeschooled girl didn’t want to do the homework he had assigned her.
Reynolds reportedly admitted to police that he “blacked out” as he was spanking the girl, who was discovered unresponsive early Friday morning after her father called 911 claiming she was in cardiac arrest. But first responders noticed blood on the carpet in their Albuquerque home, and observed that the little girl was covered in bruises that appeared to be in the shape of shoe tread marks. Reynolds reportedly waited several hours after inflicting the girl’s injuries before he called 911.
As reported by the Daily Mail, someone claiming to be Sarah’s mother Chantel DuBois has created a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign to raise money for Sarah’s burial costs and for travel to New Mexico from California. In the statement on the campaign page, DuBois wrote that her daughter had been diagnosed with autism — but that the girl’s father refused to accept it.
“My baby girl was so sweet with a smile that softened every heart she came across. Sarah had a very positive and playful spirit. She would love to act out movie scenes. I later learned that was an autism trait . My daughter was diagnosed with autism,” the statement reads.
“Her dad refused to accept she was autistic. Her father killed her because he could not deal with her autism. As sweet as my daughter was, as all children they have resistance it seems that is something her father was not able to deal with.”
Reynolds is believed to have had sole custody of the girl at the time of her death.
Albuquerque police reportedly told ABC News that Reynolds charged with child abuse, intentionally caused, resulting in the death of a child under 13, and is in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
