A New York father has been charged with the murder of his seven-year-old daughter.
According to the Journal News, Gabrielle White was found dead in a New Rochelle home Tuesday, after a babysitter rushed to the home after reportedly receiving concerning text messages from the girl’s father.
According to the Daily News, Gabrielle’s lifeless body was found in her bed.
The precise circumstances of the suspected homicide are not yet known, but police told the Journal News that the cause of death is asphyxia by suffocation.
Gabriele’s mother Michelle Hord-White is a vice president of talent acquisition at NBC Universal. According to the New York Post, she filed for divorce from Gabriele’s father, Neil White, in April.
Our deepest condolences to Michelle Hord-White as the NBC vice president's daughter, 7, is killed; father arrested https://t.co/ANJi2JGOAq
— Strength With In Me (@SWIM_DV) June 8, 2017
According to the Daily News, Hord-White moved to formally end the marriage after police were called the couple’s home on a domestic call. Neighbors told the newspaper that the divorce was not amicable and that there were concerns something bad might happen.
Hord-White reportedly rushed to the home shortly after her daughter was found dead.
“She was beside herself,” a neighbor told the Daily News. “She was crying, ‘I want to see the baby! I want to see her!’”
Hord-White and her family released a statement about the tragic death.
“No words could sum up all that Gabrielle meant to us but she was our light. We are broken and devastated.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Photo: Family handout
