A Tennessee mother faces charges after allegedly smothering her two children to death. According to police, the woman left a series of notes to explain her reasoning. They say she then tried to drown herself in the bathtub after killing her children.
Her attempt at taking her own life was unsuccessful. The children’s father came to her home, finding both the children and the woman. Now, the woman is likely going to end up in prison for what she did.
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The children died in October.
In October 2024, police responded to a call at Jessica Chandler’s home in Johnson City, Tennessee, after they were called by the children’s father. When they arrived, they found the bodies of her two children, KRCR reported. Her daughter, Vista, was 4 years old and her son, Eli, was 1 year old.
According to police, the mother brandished a knife at officers and EMS personnel. The woman was taken to a hospital after she was found with self-inflicted cuts on her body. While in the hospital, she was placed under 24-hour surveillance.
She's facing multiple charges for allegedly killing her children.
Chandler was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. She appeared in court for a preliminary hearing in January.
During the hearing, investigators testified that the children’s official autopsies list asphyxiation by smothering as cause of death, WJHL reported. “She pointed out on the property list that she used a Lilo & Stitch blanket to first suffocate Vista in her bed,” Johnson City Police Department Criminal Investigator Michael Fowler said. Fowler continued, testifying that Chandler said she suffocated her son Eli the same way.
The mother wrote three notes that were found at the scene.
“We located three notes that [were] taped on the cabinets as soon you walk into the residence,” Fowler said. In the notes, that Fowler read aloud during the hearing, Chandler implicated herself for her children’s deaths. She also shared that she intended to take her own life.
The mother spoke with Fowler about why she allegedly killed her children.
“I think there [were] multiple reasons that came up,” he said. “One was the previous incident with James [father of Chandler’s children] and her not being able to protect her children. She explained a lot about her past with her past life experiences. There [were] various contributions.”
A police officer testified about what he found at the scene.
Johnson City Patrol Officer Gary Price also testified at the hearing. Price was one of the officers who was called to the scene at Chandler’s home. During his testimony, Price recalled what condition he and the EMS personnel found Chandler in. When they found her, she was in the bathtub with cuts on her body.
Price said he saw a “pack of razor blades with utility knives” in the bathroom, “sitting on the edge of the bathtub.”
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Currently, the mother is being held on bond.
At the time of the hearing, Chandler wasn’t being held without bond. But the court found probable cause to set a bond. Her defense asked for a bond to be set. Due to risks that include Chandler’s mental state, the state asked that a $1 million bond be set. Judge Jonathan Minga agreed to set a $2 million bond, as well as GPS monitoring restrictions.
