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NY Dad Admits Killing Toddler Daughter Who Survived Cancer Because ‘She Got Too Much Attention’

By Lawrence Arboleda
Published on: 23:20 PST, Sep 15, 2016

A 25-year-old man from New York has pleaded guilty Thursday to the killing of his toddler daughter, whom he hit with a baseball bat before burning her body and dumping the remains in the waters near the Inner Harbor.

Ryan Lawrence has been charged with first-degree murder by Onondaga County prosecutors and will be sentenced to 25 years to life imprisonment as part of the plea deal, as reported by CNY Central.

Morgan Lawrence, Maddox’s mother, was sobbing as County Court Judge Anthony Aloi read the details of her daughter’s death at the hands of her husband.

Ryan Lawrence will be sentenced in October.

In a statement, Lawrence admitted to beating his 21-month-old daughter Maddox to death outside Syracuse in February. He then burned the toddler’s body in a fire pit and tied her remains to a cinder block which he threw in Onondaga Creek in Syracuse.

As reported by CBS News, Ryan, along with his toddler daughter, vanished on Saturday night, February 20, leaving a message that he intended to hurt himself and possibly the child.

The search for Maddox started after the toddler’s mother reported to the police that the child was missing late Saturday night. The woman said that she was expecting her husband to pick her up from work at 10:00 p.m. when she received a phone call informing her that the car she shared with her husband was in the parking lot with the key still inside the ignition, according to the police.

She drove home to find the house empty. After she found the message her husband left, she called the police.

Just 36 hours after an Amber Alert was issued for the missing child, Lawrence was arrested Monday afternoon in the village of Baldwinsville, just 10 miles northwest of Syracuse. New York State Police divers recovered Maddox’s body Tuesday afternoon in the water near the Syracuse Inner Harbor.

Lawrence was charged with second-degree murder at the time. The Syracuse Police withheld information about the girls’ death but urged additional witnesses to come forward.

https://www.facebook.com/cnycentral/videos/10153888060395382/

Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler explained to a reporter during a press conference why he couldn’t talk about what triggered the alleged murder.

“What you’re asking for me to do is follow a logical thought process to describe a very heinous and illogical act,” he said. “It just don’t work that way.”

Fowler said investigators were awaiting an autopsy to confirm the child’s identity but said that he was “unfortunately confident” that the body they recovered from the water was that of the girl.

“This is tough for all of us involved,” he said. “When you’re talking about a child, you’re talking about a special situation. Although every human being’s life has a value, we’re supposed to protect our children.”

“As adults, we make our own decisions how we want to live our lives,” Fowler added. “I think we owe our children under our care of custody the same right – to grow up, become adults and make their own choices in life. They deserve a chance.”

Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick called Maddox a “fighter” for being able to survive her illness. He said Lawrence revealed that it was jealousy over the attention his daughter was getting as the possible motive for the murder.

A makeshift memorial made of stuffed animals and various mementos has been set up on the banks of the Onondaga Creek and is expected to be the permanent memorial site for the toddler.

The memorial for little Maddox is now a bit smaller than it once was because older stuffed animals and mementos have been removed at the request of her family.

International Business Times reports that the family and the city of Syracuse are discussing plans on setting up a permanent memorial at the site. As indicated in the “In Memory of Baby Maddox” Facebook page, her family hopes to have a new bench, a sign and plaque, and an area with flowers as a memorial to little Maddox.

[Featured Image by Jeffrey Manley/In Memory Of Baby Maddox Facebook Group Page]

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