Hendersonville mother confessed to her daughter’s drowning death, cops say
The mother of a 7-year-old girl who faces first-degree murder charges in connection with the child’s death admitted to investigators that she drowned her daughter because she “wanted some time to herself after a hard day,” court documents say.
Hendersonville police were called to Drakes Creek near Sanders Ferry Road on Saturday after authorities were notified that the 7-year-old had drowned, a department news release said.
More: Middle Tennessee mother charged in connection with child’s drowning death in Drakes Creek
Brandi Elliott, 33, told police she left her apartment and sat down on the stairs, court documents say.
Her daughter Piper did not want to stay alone in the apartment and therefore refused to leave her mother alone, the documents say. It was also noted that Brandi Elliott walked with the girl across the street and started walking along the greenway.
The woman told police: “Since the victim would not give her what she wanted, time alone, she would give the victim what she wanted,” the documents state.
According to records, Brandi Elliott had just celebrated her birthday two days before the incident.
Kip Ziemer, a family friend, said mother and daughter were visiting Elliott’s husband, Jon, at the hospital, where he was being treated for a medical problem just hours before the girl drowned.
Jon Elliott remained hospitalized Wednesday, his friends said.
After learning of his daughter’s death, he posted about her on social media.
“Piper Elliott is a new angel in heaven. A beautiful angel was taken before she could begin her journey through life. May the arms of the angels in heaven wrap their wings around her and guide her through the gates of heaven. Piper, you will be loved and missed,” Jon Elliott wrote in a Facebook post.
“A really hard job”
Dr. David McMillian, a psychologist in Nashville, has seen cases like Brandi Elliott’s before.
In cases where parents are accused of killing their children, the issue is more about why a parent didn’t grow up than why someone could do something so cruel, McMillian told The Tennessean. He said it comes down to impulse control.
“Maybe you had a brother or a sister and you wanted to kill them … Children have these feelings and of course all children are a nuisance. And it’s difficult being a parent. It’s a really hard job,” said McMillian, a psychologist with 40 years of professional experience.
While there is no instruction manual for parenting, McMillian is convinced that parents who kill their children are incapable of putting their children first, ahead of their own needs, he said.
“She’s just like all of us,” McMillian said of Brandi Elliott. “We’re all capable of doing really bad things.”
Court records show that Brandi Elliott told investigators she told her daughter to be quiet while she held her underwater.
Brandi Elliott said she realized she had done something wrong and attempted to revive her daughter with CPR after pulling the girl from the water, documents say.
But it was too late.
Piper Elliott was taken by ambulance to TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead shortly before noon Saturday.
Family support
Ziemer said he has known the Elliott family for 10 years.
He set up a GoFundMe account to support Jon Elliott. Ziemer said he still couldn’t believe it after hearing the allegations against Brandi Elliott.
Ziemer said he currently visits the Elliotts’ home regularly to watch the family dog and that he has offered Jon Elliott the opportunity to stay with him once he is released from the hospital.
There was no concrete timetable for when a release might take place.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Ziemer’s GoFundMe account had raised more than $4,700 in support of Jon Elliott, a disabled Marine veteran.
“He will need all the help he can get,” Ziemer said, adding that he hopes Jon Elliott can be released from the hospital in time to see his daughter one more time before the funeral.
Brandi Elliott remained jailed without bail in Sumner County on Wednesday.
Her appearance in Sumner County General Sessions Court is scheduled for July 29.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Hendersonville police at 615-822-1111 or Hendersonville Crime Stoppers at 615-594-4113.
Tips can also be submitted by texting TIPHPD to 274637 (CRIMES).
Katie Nixon can be reached at [email protected].
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