Jury selection begins Tuesday in the trial of a Maine man charged in the Christmas Day death of his girlfriend’s toddler daughter two years ago.
A man by the name of Tyler Witham-Jordan is facing charges for the alleged murder of 3-year-old Makinzlee Handrahan, according to a report by CrimeOnline. Witham-Jordan has entered a plea of not guilty and has attempted to redirect culpability towards the child’s mother.
Authorities were summoned to the residence where Makinzlee and her mother, Witham-Jordan, along with three other children resided, around 7:30 a.m. on December 25, 2022.
Upon arrival, emergency personnel discovered Makinzlee in a state of rigidity, coldness, and exhibiting various bruises. The extent of her bruising was likened to that of a Dalmatian dog by one emergency medical technician, as per a statement in a police document. She was swiftly transported to Lincoln Heath’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta, where she was later pronounced deceased.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide, detailing that she had bruises on her face, ear, head, back and stomach, with rug burns on her chin and nose.
Clumps of hair were missing from her head, and the autopsy showed her stomach full of blood.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services investigated the family two months earlier when Makinzlee’s daycare reported a scratch and bruises. Witham-Jordan and the mother claimed the girl was scratched by a cat and fell down the stairs.
In the 911 call on the day of the girl’s death, the mother was heard saying, “Oh my god, I think my daughter’s dead,” while Witham-Jordan cries out “I’m f*****” and “I’m finished,” WGME reported.
The trial will begin when jury selection is completed.
