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6-year-old Bella Fontenelle was allegedly killed by her father's 43-year-old girlfriend Hannah Landon. The suspect was taken into custody on April 26, 2023. It was further revealed that Landon allegedly killed Bella and buried her body in a chlorine bucket in her biological mother Jennifer Zeledon's yard. Landon was then charged with first-degree murder and obstruction of justice.
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of child abuse. Readers' discretion is advised.
Police discovered Bella Fontenelle's remains at around 8:20 am on Wednesday, less than an hour after she and Landon were reported missing by Bella's dad. If convicted, Hannah Landon could face the death penalty over the alleged slaying.
A GoFundMe fundraiser was launched by Bella Fontenelle's aunt three days ago. It aimed at raising $25,000 to meet Bella's funeral expenses and to provide financial assistance to her family. It has already raised $36,678, with the help of 640 donors.
Bella Fontenelle was allegedly found in a bucket in the front yard of her biological mother's house in Harahan
On April 26, 2023, Bella Fontenelle's father reported her and his girlfriend Hannah missing. Less than an hour after the report at about 8:20 am, the 6-year-old girl was found dead in a 5-10-gallon chlorine bucket in the front yard of her biological mother's residence, as per NBC. The details were confirmed by Sheriff Joseph Lopinto last week.
The suspect, identified as Hannah Landon, is the girlfriend of the victim's father. Authorities also revealed that the mother's house where the young girl's body was found was around two blocks from Landon's house. The child was declared dead at the scene, and an autopsy ruled her death a homicide.
Captain Jason Rivarde confirmed that the cause behind Bella Fontenelle's death has been determined to be blunt force trauma and strangulation. She also reportedly had "multiple injuries" on her body. Authorities believe the young girl was allegedly killed on Tuesday and shortly after her death, her body was transferred to her mother's front yard.
Neighbors' surveillance footage captured Hannah Landon pulling a wagon with a bucket that contained Bella's remains. An arrest warrant was issued on Wednesday and she was arrested shortly after.
According to online jail records, she was booked under the name Bunnack Landon. Upon further investigation, police discovered that Landon had previously served a summons for simple battery, as per The US Sun. She was accused of attacking Bella Fontenelle's aunt at a swim meet.
According to the police report:
“Bunnak was extremely uncooperative with officers for the duration of their time on the scene, initially refused to even identity herself.”
The report further said:
“[Landon allegedly left the woman with] visible scratches below her left eye and on her left hand.”
Landon, however, claimed that Bella Fontenelle's aunt attacked her first, but she could not produce any evidence or witness to corroborate the same. A month later, she attempted to file for a temporary restraining order against Bella's aunt and mother. She claimed that Bella's biological mother made "multiple threats of harm" against her.
Court documents revealed that the restraining order was dissolved, and her petition for a permanent injunction was denied. According to Sheriff Lopinto, her death was "a big shock to the small community of Harahan."
He further added:
“My heart and my prayers go out to the family of this child. This is a senseless type of incident that happened.”
Hannah Landon's actions have been described as "senseless and heinous"
Bella's aunt, Bianca Cano, described Bella Fontenelle's tragic death as a "senseless and heinous act" and stated that Bella was "beyond perfection."
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been launched, as has been mentioned before, to meet Bella's funeral expenses.
The post read:
“Your beautiful little voice, your funny personality, the way you danced, the way you were so delicate and fragile, your smile, your laugh, the way expressed yourself.”
It further added:
“This senseless and heinous act has forever destroyed my family. No words can describe the pain that is running through our bodies. It’s truly inhumane. I’m starting this GoFundMe because as some may know, my sister is a single mother and now her baby was taken from her.”
Bella's aunt revealed that the fundraiser was launched to provide some financial assistance to her mother, Jennifer Zeledon, who lives on Sedgefield Drive in New Orleans. Authorities are yet to discover the motive behind the heinous crime.
Bella used to study at St. Matthew The Apostle School in River Ridge, which is around 2 miles northwest of Harahan. An email was sent to the parents addressing the tragic incident. The school described Bella's death as "a horrific tragedy that will impact our school and parish community." Classes were further canceled on April 27 and 28 to mourn the loss of the young girl.
