A 5-year-old girl has died after she was allegedly horrifically abused by her mother and stepfather. People close to the family said Melissa “Missy” Mogle told them she was being abused. So they did what they could: They called the authorities. And while authorities did investigate the allegations, ultimately nothing was done. It was only made worse when her stepfather was released after different charges were made against him, allowing him back into the home. The close friends and family members believe that if the system had handled things differently, the little girl might still be alive.
Missy Mogle was found unresponsive at home in Tallahassee, Florida, on May 19, 2025, WCTV reported. She later died at a hospital. Her mother, 23-year-old Chloe Spencer, and her stepfather, 35-year-old Daniel Spencer, have since been accused of killing the girl by asphyxiation.
Chloe and Daniel Spencer face multiple charges, including recent second-degree murder charges. Previously, the couple had been charged with aggravated battery on a child, child neglect with great bodily harm, and failure to report child abuse. A judge ordered that they have no contact with each other, witnesses, or minors, including their other children. The children have been placed in the care of other family members.
Investigators released details of the alleged abuse the couple subjected the little girl to. They accessed video evidence of the abuse from cameras in the girl’s bedroom. The footage shows Daniel Spencer “physically abusing [the girl] by hitting her, violently pulling her arms, shoving her face into a bed, binding her feet and hands together, and covering her with pillows and comforters.” Blood from Missy Mogle was found on her pillows and comforters, according to arrest affidavits.
Chloe Spencer also allegedly abused her daughter. Footage shows her “standing over [her daughter], who was on her bed in the fetal position, while Chloe held an object over her head as if she was preparing to hit [her] with the object.” Court records show the mother admitting to police that she hit the girl with a shoe.
According to court records, Daniel Spencer submitted a conditional plea of not guilty. Chloe Spencer also filed a written not guilty plea.
People who knew Missy Mogle and the Spencers spoke with the Tallahassee Democrat about the girl, placing blame for her death directly on the system. In July 2024, the Tallahassee Police Department investigated Daniel Spencer after a hotline call to the Florida Department of Children and Families. Someone reported that Daniel Spencer was sexually abusing the girl.
In the end, police found “insufficient probable cause,” so they did not arrest Daniel Spencer. The decision came only months after he was arrested as a part of a sting by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. After talking to a police officer online posing as a 15-year-old girl, Spencer was charged with multiple child sex crimes, including traveling to meet a minor. He was convicted on April 15, 2025.
After his trial, prosecutors asked that the man be held in jail pending sentencing. However, Leon Circuit Judge Tiffany Baker-Carper allowed his release.
“These agencies failed a 5-year-old child and let her get murdered by the people that were supposed to protect her,” Jasmine Hartsfield, one of Missy’s godmothers, told the Tallahassee Democrat. “They were supposed to protect her from these monsters, and they did nothing but let it happen.”
According to Hartsfield and a woman named Paig Carnahan, Missy was in the custody of her maternal grandparents until she was 4 years old. There was even a period of time Carnahan had custody of the girl before DCF gave custody of her back to Chloe Spencer.
“Not one single person who truly truly loved this baby ever stopped fighting for her,” Carnahan said in a Facebook post.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
