A 25-year-old man from Texas, Deontray Flanagan, faces murder charges for allegedly killing his 2-year-old daughter, Zevaya Flanagan, during a police chase while on a FaceTime call with the child’s mother.
According to reports, Flanagan picked up Zevaya from daycare on Monday morning before heading to Walmart, where the girl’s mother, Kairsten Watson, was working. Flanagan allegedly demanded Watson’s cell phone, assaulted her, and then fled the scene with Zevaya in his vehicle, prompting a police chase.
During the pursuit, Watson managed to contact Flanagan via FaceTime using Zevaya’s grandmother’s phone. Flanagan reportedly grew angry after requesting Watson’s cell phone password but not receiving it. Court documents claim that Flanagan then began hitting and choking Zevaya while Watson watched helplessly on FaceTime.
After the call ended, Flanagan called his stepfather and informed him that Zevaya “was gone.” The 45-minute police chase ultimately led to Flanagan’s arrest, and Zevaya was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Flanagan is currently being held on a $2 million bail, and it is unclear if he has entered a plea or retained legal representation.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help cover the funeral expenses for Zevaya.