The state of Louisiana has been rocked by a gruesome crime that has shocked the entire community. A 6-year-old girl named Bella Fontenelle was found dead on her own mother’s front yard, stuffed in a 10-gallon bucket. According to reports by The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate, Bunnak “Hannah” Landon, the girlfriend of Bella’s father, has been charged with her murder.
The case has caused a great deal of perplexity and has left many people in the community struggling to understand how such a heinous crime could occur. The details of the case are particularly disturbing, with Bella’s body being discovered with “multiple injuries”. The county corner has ruled that the cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma, indicating that Bella suffered a great deal of pain and distress in the moments leading up to her death.
The fact that Bella’s body was dumped on her own mother’s front yard has only added to the sense of shock and outrage that the community is feeling. It is difficult to comprehend how someone could be capable of such a horrific act, particularly against a defenseless child.
According to Sheriff Joseph Lopinto, Landon and Bella’s father shared a home just blocks down from where her body was found. This has led police to believe that the girl was killed at the home sometime on Tuesday night. The fact that the body was not dismembered before being placed in the bucket has led investigators to believe that the crime was motivated by something other than a desire to dispose of the body.
As details about the case continue to emerge, it has become clear that Landon had a history of altercations with Bella’s family. Court records, as reported by NBC News, show that Landon allegedly attacked Bella’s aunt at a swim meet in June 2021. She then filed for a restraining order against Bella’s mother and aunt, claiming that the aunt had attacked her unprovoked. This suggests that there may have been underlying tensions between Landon and Bella’s family that contributed to the tragic events that unfolded on Tuesday night.
The community has been left reeling by this senseless act of violence, with many struggling to come to terms with what has happened. The fact that a child has been taken from her family in such a brutal way is a tragedy that will be felt for years to come.
In the aftermath of the crime, many are calling for justice to be served and for the perpetrator to be held accountable for their actions. The full details of the case are still emerging, but it is clear that the community will be forever changed by the events of Tuesday night.
As Sheriff Lopinto stated in a press conference following the discovery of Bella’s body: “We’re going to do everything we can to bring justice for this 6-year-old girl”. The community is counting on law enforcement officials to do just that, and to ensure that no child has to suffer a similar fate in the future.
