Chelsea, Vermont - March 19, 2010
A Chelsea teenager is behind bars tonight. Alexander Stolte, 19, is accused of murdering a baby.
Reporter Matt Henson: Did you kill Kyleigh?
Stolte: No!
Outside, Stolte denied he was a killer. Inside Orange County District Court, he stared at his girlfriend's family. He is charged with killing her one-year-old daughter Kyleigh McDaniel.
"My daughter was my world, our world. I wanted... her to go home (from the hospital) with me," Mackenzie McDaniel sobbed.
According to court papers, Stolte was babysitting his girlfriend Mackenzie McDaniel's daughter Wednesday night at his home while she was at work. He reportedly called her several times to report numerous symptoms the baby seemed to be suffering, including droopy eyes and breathing problems. At 10:30 p.m. Mackenzie says Stolte called freaking out. She told him her daughter had a cold and that was likely to blame. An hour later Stolte called 911 claiming the baby was no longer breathing. Kyleigh was brought to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
"She was beautiful. We loved her, she giggled, she was so wonderful," said Janine McDaniel, Kyleigh's grandmother.
The medical examiner ruled the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head. And it was discovered that the baby suffered from multiple skull fractures and a broken leg. Doctors also observed the baby was recovering from untreated broken ribs.
"We have lost a beautiful young girl who shined bright and she walks with angels right now," Janine McDaniel said.
Stolte reportedly told investigators he did not know how the baby suffered the fatal injuries, but it may have happened earlier in the evening when she tripped and fell into her walker. Police say during questioning they smelled alcohol. The teenager initially denied drinking, but a breath test found his blood alcohol content to be .07. Stolte then reportedly admitted to drinking vodka that night.
"This little girl did not deserve this, she will have justice," Janine McDaniel said.
This is the second tragic death in the McDaniel family in the past three years. Mackenzie's brother, Juctin McDaniel, died in Iraq three years ago.
"He was so wonderful. And the light of our life. She brought us out of a deep depression after Juctin's death," the grandmother said.
Stolte is being held without bail. Prosecutors did not release a motive.
The McDaniels family declined to answer any specific questions about the case. They kept their comments focused on how much they loved Kyleigh.
Matt Henson - WCAX News
