While living in Alabama, Miranda McBride claims she had contacted child protective services in Indiana concerning her 6-year-old son, Justin Elmore. He lived with his father, Franklin Elmore Jr., and his father’s wife, Cheyenne Elmore, in Elkhart because McBride thought he’d have a better life. Instead, Justin died, and authorities say his father killed him.
Cheyenne Elmore called 911 just before 9 p.m. on August 3, 2025, according to court documents obtained by KPTV. When emergency responders arrived, they rushed Justin to Elkhart General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The couple allegedly told police Justin hit himself in the head because of behavioral issues. But according to experts, his injuries didn’t match their story.
The Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office reported that doctors who examined Justin “observed that some of the injuries apparently sustained by the victim were not believed to be self-inflicted, including a traumatic brain injury and a punctured lung.” Franklin Elmore and Cheyenne Elmore allegedly admitted to physically punishing Justin, but McBride said it was more than just punishment.
McBride told WVPE that when she and Franklin Elmore broke up, she didn’t feel like she had a stable home for Justin but hoped his father would give him a good life.
“I just want the world to know that everyone failed my son, everyone from the school, to that CPS office, to that judge,” McBride said. “I done what was right for my son. I was homeless up here. I was sleeping on people’s porches in the snow. I was sleeping in my car when I had one.
“I didn’t want my son doing that,” she continued. “So yeah, I let him stay with Frankie. And that now is the worst decision I have ever made because he would be alive even if he slept in a car with me.”
McBride and Franklin Elmore’s mother, Carrie Brown, allegedly contacted the Department of Child Services and Jimtown Elementary School officials months ago with concerns about Justin and potential abuse at home, WVPE reported.
Franklin Elmore reportedly admitted to whipping Justin with a belt and sometimes putting soap in his mouth. The father also reportedly used extreme exercise and yard work as a form of discipline. A neighbor told KPTV they’d seen Justin treated harshly by his father.
“I’ve reported to CPS the things that my son was saying. And they said they could do nothing because they didn’t find any bruises,” McBride told KPTV. “But when my son tells me that he goes to bed hungry at night when he gets in trouble, I don’t care if there’s food in that house. There could be a thousand dollars’ worth of food in that house. Are they feeding it to him? Is he eating it?”
Amber McBride created a GoFundMe account to help her sister with Justin’s final expenses.
“My 6 year old nephew Justin Elmore was failed by the state of Indiana ending in tragedy. I have made this go fund me to bring this baby home to his mom who has been fighting for him and reporting the carelessness of the home he was in,” she wrote on the page. “No one would listen to her and left him In a home that lead to his passing. She needs all the help she can get.”
The Indiana Department of Child Services reportedly told KPTV it “does not have statutory authority to release any records related to [the boy], due to an ongoing police investigation or criminal prosecution.”
Franklin Elmore and Cheyenne Elmore each face a murder charge and are being held without bond.
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.
