Melissa Towne, Nichole Bradshaw homicide: Mum’s chilling texts earlier than killing daughter

The mom accused of slitting her daughter’s throat and strangling her to demise within the woods despatched a barrage of alarming texts threatening to “illegally” abduct the woman years earlier than the horrific homicide.

Melissa Towne, 37, allegedly admitted to taking her daughter Nichole Bradshaw, 5, into Spring Creek Park in Tomball, Texas, on Sunday and reducing her neck with a knife earlier than suffocating her to demise, The Solar studies.

Towne was arrested later the identical day after she drove to a close-by hospital, the place an ER nurse appeared into her automobile to see Nichole’s bloodied physique wrapped in plastic inside a mesh laundry bag.

The mom-of-four, who allegedly confessed to finishing up the killing in a subsequent police interview, mentioned she determined to kill little Nichole as a result of she believed she was “evil and didn’t need something to do along with her anymore,” in response to court docket paperwork.

It’s presently unclear why Nichole was in Towne’s care to start with as she didn’t have authorized custody of the woman.

Nichole’s father, James Bradshaw Jr., had full custody of her since she was a child.

In an announcement, Youngster Protecting Companies (CPS) confirmed that Towne “does have a previous historical past” with the company however declined to remark additional, citing confidentiality legal guidelines.

However in court docket paperwork obtained by The US Solar, it’s revealed that Towne misplaced custody of Nichole as a consequence of unspecified “psychological sicknesses.”

The data was shared in an affidavit for her arrest in April 2019, during which Towne was accused of illegally trespassing on Bradshaw Jr.’s mother or father’s property and later smashing the windshield of his dad’s automobile.

Bradshaw’s father referred to as the police on April 27 to report that that they had discovered Towne sitting on their entrance porch the evening prior the place she began to argue with him “about her two-year-old daughter.”

“The complainant reported that Melissa doesn’t have custody of the kid as a consequence of psychological sicknesses,” the affidavit reads.

“The complainant lastly persuaded Melissa to depart and opted to not contact regulation enforcement.”

However the next morning, Bradshaw Sr. entered his driveway to seek out his automobile’s windshield smashed. Bradshaw Jr. reported listening to a “loud bang” the evening prior when Towne arrived on the house.

In a subsequent interview with police, Towne reportedly refused to satisfy with investigators as a result of she was “going to jail.”

When requested concerning the harm to Bradshaw Sr.’s automobile, she admitted that she struck the windshield with a wrench, the paperwork state.

She later pleaded responsible to at least one rely of legal mischief and was ordered to pay $803 in fines.

Alarming texts

A yr prior, Towne had been arrested for harassing Kathy Bradshaw, Bradshaw Jr.’s mom, in a slew of textual content messages that different from “vulgar to incoherent” in one other argument about Nichole in Might 2018.

Nichole, who would’ve then been round one, was generally referred to by Towne as “Chanel” in posts on social media and to mates and colleagues. It’s presently unclear why.

However in her report back to the police, Kathy Bradshaw reported receiving a series of 49 ranting messages from Towne throughout a four-hour time span that left her feeling involved for her security.

The incident started on Might 11, 2018, when Kathy mentioned she obtained a collection of “undesirable textual content messages from Melissa Towne … masking a gamut of matters, and ranging from vulgar to incoherent,” an affidavit reads.

“[An officer] instructed Bradshaw to inform [Towne] to cease contacting [her].”

Kathy complied by texting Towne, writing in all-caps: “DO NOT TEXT OR CALL ME ON THIS NUMBER AGAIN.”

Towne responded “OK B**CH LOL” and continued bombarding her the next day, in response to the affidavit, which once more made her really feel “nervous and unsafe.”

One rambling and hard-to-discern message despatched by Towne on the morning of Might 12, in response to court docket information, learn: “The place is Chanel Kathy as a result of y’all actually need to both go give her again to the hospital or y’all must return her again to me.

“You’re not getting the paperwork you’re not getting the vans you’re not getting the autos this s*** is f****** b******* there’s even a f****** hospital invoice my f****** mile-wide between me and she or he is aware of y’all gained’t be capable to afford.

“Simply f****** give me the child again y’all had been [sic] f****** lose in court docket I’m not even joking with you all f****** ship you the f****** s*** and a textual content message give me my daughter again severely for security causes hazardous causes and a few extra s***.”

In a second message throughout her unanswered diatribe, Towne bragged about her IQ to Kathy, writing: “Actually my IQ doesn’t even hit the charts the one factor I’ve slightly little bit of bother with is freaking spelling.”

Then, simply 50 minutes later, Towne appeared to threaten to illegally seize possession of her daughter.

“I’m illegally taking possession over Chanel and you’ll want to go get your psychological well being warrant performed and all the pieces you may nonetheless see her the bradshaws [sic] can nonetheless see her however for now on for the protection and sake of all people has it [sic] as clever she’s coming again to me.

“Simply have him preliminary it please off of your mobile phone and I’ll run it down on his piece of paper that I’ve the courts [sic] and I’ll have him legally signal the papers in entrance of me please.”

In whole, Towne despatched Kathy 49 messages – to none of which she obtained a reply.

She pleaded responsible to harassment in October 2018 and was sentenced to 45 days in Montgomery County Jail.

Custody confession

How Nichole got here to be within the care of Towne on the time of her killing stays a thriller.

It’s additionally unclear whether or not Nichole and her father had been nonetheless residing with Kathy and James Bradshaw Sr. The pair had been contacted for remark by The U.S. Solar however haven’t but responded.

Neighbors who lived close to Kathy and Bradshaw Sr.’s house in Magnolia instructed ABC13 that all of them took turns taking good care of Nichole when the household wanted them to step in.

“He was asking for assist, and anytime we may, we might all assist,” one neighbour mentioned of James Jr.

“He cherished her. He was the most effective daddy he might be. All of us knew one thing was fallacious, and she or he needed good for her child.

“We stored her away, and we didn’t need something to occur to her, so we tried to do the most effective we may.

“However I can’t think about anybody doing that to a baby in any respect, and whenever you discover out it’s somebody you realize, and particularly a candy little child, it breaks your coronary heart.”

Paying for justice

Nichole was Bradshaw Jr.’s solely little one.

The Bradshaw household issued an announcement on Monday, asking for privateness as they grieve the “horrible loss” of Nichole’s life and “strive to determine easy methods to go on from right here.”

“Nichole has grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and a father that each one cherished her dearly and by no means thought such a tragic occasion would occur to such an harmless little one,” reads the assertion.

“She’s going to all the time maintain a particular place in all of our hearts. We’ll all the time keep in mind her because the sweetest little woman who by no means met a stranger.

“She was so full of affection and giggles and her brilliant blue eyes shined so stuffed with curiosity.

“We hope and praying justice will probably be served and the heartless monster who took our candy woman away from us pay for the harmless life she took.”

Sickening crime

Melissa Towne reportedly confessed to murdering her daughter on Sunday, hours after the five-year-old’s lifeless physique was present in a mesh laundry bag at the back of her automobile.

In line with police, Towne allegedly admitted to main Nichole into Spring Creek Park and ordering the woman to get down on her knees.

She then is alleged to have pulled out a knife from her bag, as Nichole pleaded along with her, screaming: “However I’ve been good.”

Towne tried to slit her daughter’s throat however the woman survived. She then positioned a trash bag over her daughter’s head and suffocated and strangled her for roughly 30 to 45 minutes, court docket paperwork state.

From the park, Towne drove to an emergency room in Tomball and requested hospital employees for a wheelchair for her little one, telling the nurses that her physique was hurting.

An ER nurse walked out to Towne’s Jeep Cherokee and found Nichole wrapped in plastic and a bag, in response to court docket paperwork.

Investigators mentioned she had seen cuts to her neck and docs pronounced her useless minutes later.

A knife was additionally present in Towne’s pocket when she was taken into custody, police say.

Towne stays in custody on one cost of capital homicide. Her bond has been set at $15 million.

‘Unhinged’ behaviour

A former colleague of Towne’s instructed The US Solar in an unique interview that the mom-of-four was “unhinged” and it was evident that in the future she would ultimately snap.

“She was unhinged,” mentioned the ex-co-worker, who requested to stay nameless.

“I labored along with her at Denny’s for a couple of months and no person preferred her as a result of she was so bizarre.

“She’d go as much as her tables and discuss to clients in a Minnie Mouse voice like she was at daycare or one thing.

“These clients can be full-grown adults, like a 60-year-old couple with no youngsters, and so they’d be taking a look at her so confused like, ‘is she for actual?’”

Towne’s unusual behaviour apparently earned her the nickname “loopy chick” amongst a lot of her fellow employees on the restaurant.

However the supply, who labored with Towne from October 2019 till the pandemic hit in early 2020, mentioned she went out of her option to be good to Towne, believing there could have been one thing fallacious along with her.

“I attempted to be good to her as a result of I believed, perhaps she hasn’t been socialised correctly or one thing, however she would find yourself messaging me among the weirdest s**t,” she mentioned.

“She would message me ‘the way you doing?’ and I’d be busy or one thing and never capable of reply, however she would simply proceed on with the dialog by herself like she didn’t know what was happening.

“Melissa was simply actually bizarre,” added the supply. “It’s such as you see some folks and assume, how are you holding it collectively?

“We knew she was simply going to snap some day … she was freakin’ delusional, so I’m not shocked [at what happened], sadly.”

‘My coronary heart is damaged’

Towne’s ex-colleague mentioned she has been left heartbroken over the information of Nichole’s demise.

Throughout their time working collectively, the supply mentioned Towne typically spoke lovingly of her kids, expressing delight about “lovely all 4 of her kids had been, and she or he was very proud that they had been all wholesome.”

However the supply mentioned the system and native authorities have failed Nichole and all people else, insisting that for not one second ought to Towne have been allowed to be alone with any of her kids.

“Whoever was alleged to be attending to Melissa failed, little one providers failed, the docs failed, and the psychological well being system failed,” she mentioned.

“That little one was not solely a sufferer of Melissa and her vary of psychological well being points however the system, normally, has failed her – and the system has failed all the remainder of us too.

“It hurts my coronary heart,” she added.

“I all the time had religion in Melissa that after she will get on the correct remedy … she’s going to be an amazing particular person.

“I don’t know in the event that they weren’t giving her the suitable drugs, or if she wasn’t taking it, however I really feel unhealthy for the remainder of [Nichole’s] household. “However they shouldn’t have left that woman alone with Melissa.”

This story was printed by The Solar and was reproduced with permission.

Initially printed as Nichole Bradshaw homicide: Mum’s chilling texts earlier than allegedly killing daughter