Three-year-old Makinzlee Handrahan was found dead on Christmas morning 2022 at her home in the Davis Island Townhomes in Edgecomb, Maine. At approximately 7:37 a.m., her mother called 911 reporting the child was not breathing; the child was found cold, stiff, and covered in bruises. She was transported to Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy by the Maine Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as blunt force trauma with internal injuries, and the manner of death as homicide. Tyler Witham-Jordan, 29, the mother's boyfriend who was living with the family, was arrested and charged with murder. Evidence included his DNA on a broken plastic hairbrush that also had the child's DNA, and his DNA was found under the child's fingernails. Investigators found evidence he had been up all night on Christmas Eve and was going through opioid withdrawal. A DHHS investigation had been initiated in October after the child's daycare reported scratches and bruises, but Witham-Jordan remained in the home until the child's death two months later.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Document 4 (WGME court documents article) states: "The medical examiner ruled her cause of death blunt force trauma and says she had internal injuries." It also reports: "First responders say they found bruises all over the little girl's body." Additionally, "Investigators say they found Handrahan's plastic hairbrush was broken and had Witham-Jordan's DNA on it, as well as Handrahan's," and "his DNA was under the little girl's fingernails." Doctors stated "the wounds were too severe to be inflicted by another child." This is clear evidence of inflicted injury via beating.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Multiple documents confirm that the mother's boyfriend, Tyler Witham-Jordan, was arrested and charged with the murder. Document 1 (WGME) states: "investigators say Witham-Jordan was dating and living with Handrahan's mother." Document 4 (WGME court documents) states: "Twenty-nine-year-old Tyler Witham-Jordan is held on $250,000 bail and charged with murder." His DNA was found on the broken hairbrush and under the child's fingernails.
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Document 4 (WGME court documents) states: "the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office says there was a DHHS investigation the previous October after Handrahan's daycare reported she had a scratch and bruises, which her mother and Witham-Jordan said were caused by a cat scratch and falling on the stairs." This establishes a prior child protection investigation for this child before her death in December.
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Document 1 (WGME) states: "state police arrested Tyler Witham-Jordan, charging him with the murder of three-year-old Makinzlee Handrahan." Document 4 (WGME court documents) confirms: "Twenty-nine-year-old Tyler Witham-Jordan is held on $250,000 bail and charged with murder."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 1 (WGME) states that two days after the child's death, "Handrahan's mother took out a protection order for her and her two sons against Witham-Jordan, a man she described as, 'verbally, mentally and physically abusive.'" The court document quoted says: "Tyler has held me down to not let me up after screaming at me and trying to bite me." This constitutes explicit reference to domestic violence by the caregiver.
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 4 (WGME court documents) states: "Investigators also say there is evidence Witham-Jordan was up all night on Christmas Eve and that he was going through opioid withdrawal." This directly references substance use (opioid dependency) by the caregiver charged with the child's murder.
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the text that were not fully captured by preceding questions. First, Document 4 (WGME court documents) reveals that when the mother discovered the child, "Dispatchers say they heard the girl's mother say, 'Oh my god, I think my daughter's dead,'" and Witham-Jordan "could be heard saying 'I'm f----d' and 'I'm finished,'" which constitutes an apparent consciousness of guilt. Second, Document 1 (WGME) reports that in January, "Handrahan's mother withdrew the protection order against Witham-Jordan," even after the child's death, which raises concerns about continued contact with the accused. Third, Document 3 (Press Herald) provides important systemic context, noting that "Maine reported that more children died in 2021 from abuse, neglect or in households that had prior involvement with the child protective system than in any year on record," and that the DHHS declined to comment on whether the family had prior CPS interactions, citing statutory prohibitions. Fourth, Document 4 notes that a prior DHHS investigation occurred in October after daycare reported bruises, but Witham-Jordan was still living with the child months later when she was killed, raising questions about the adequacy of the CPS response.
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