GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The mother of one-year-old Kaiyanni is pleading for justice, after her daughter was declared brain dead last Wednesday. Kaiyanni’s death was officially ruled a homicide.
Amanda O’Brien held her newborn baby as she talked with FOX 17 about her baby girl Kaiyanni, who she’s preparing to bury.
“She'll sit on the couch all day and watch CoComelon with you, like she doesn't just get into stuff she does, she's not bad,” said O’Brien.
Kaiyanni was declared brain dead on February 19th. O’Brien made the difficult decision to take her off life support and do a walk of honor to donate her organs. O’Brien says her daughter’s birthday was in a few weeks, and she had already paid the deposit for her birthday celebration.
On Tuesday, the Kent County Medical Examiners ruled Kayanni’s death a homicide, something Amanda says she wasn’t surprised to hear.
“I guess my only thoughts are that I just want answers, and I want justice,” said O’Brien.
No arrests have been made, but she’s hoping that’ll change soon so that she can know why her baby girl Kaiyanni died. She was able to see her for the first time in a few days on Tuesday at the funeral home.
“She had bruising all over her face,” said O’Brien. “She did not look like Kaiyanni, and she looked like she had been through the worst.”
O’Brien says the people who were watching Kaiyanni and her siblings at the time were close friends, who claim not to be responsible for what happened. Instead, blaming it on her four-year-old.
“I just want justice for my one-year-old. Like, she's supposed to be here right now, sitting on the couch next to me with her baby sister, watching CoComelon, sing to us,” said O’Brien.
A formal cause of death has not been given. Kaiyanni will be laid to rest Sunday. If you would like to donate to help with funeral expenses, you can do so here.
