My Lost Granddaughter

This picture was taken in 2013, and it was taken of my Step Granddaughter. I regret that it does not show her sweet little face, but I do not believe in exploiting children, and after you read this story, you will know why that is even more relevant in this situation.

Her name is Riley, and she is my Step Granddaughter. She was three years old when this photo was taken, she was four and a half years old, when I last saw her. However, to this day, she is still my Step Granddaughter and she always will be.

She was a spirted beautiful little girl, with bright eyes, and the hopefulness of an adult, however, she could be a little stinker at times too. We nicknamed her "Bad Girl", because she was adorable even when she misbehaved. She was just one of those children that had that infectious smile and giggle, that warmed your heart.

Most Of The Time We Called Her Baby Girl

However, most of the time we just called her "Baby Girl". My oldest son was her Step Father, and we met Riley when she was two years old. She never met her bilogical Grandparents on her fathers side. So she was ready for a brand new set of Grandparents and we had no Granddaughters so it was perfect.

Why We Called Her Baby Girl

As I had said, even her bad behavior was adorable to us, for she was such a spirited little girl, I instantly knew why my son had fell in love with his new Step Daughter.

We took her shopping for clothes all the time. JC Pennies was our favorite place to go. The coat she is wearing in the picture above, we bought her at Pennies, and the bike she was riding, we bought her at Walmart. You can see the time stamp on the photo and the video portion,had I shown it, my son, saying "Im going to get you", in a teasing voice.

She did have her moments however, like in the dressing room trying on clothes. I felt my new daughter in-laws pain when she said she would return the clothes that didn't fit, because she no longer would try on clothes for her daughter in dressing rooms. I knew why, and that is why I gave her the nickname "Bad Girl"

It Was A Fairy Tale

It was such a fairy tale, I had a Granddaughter, and "Baby Girl", had a Grandmother that loved her and we took her places and visited her, and baby sat when her parents wanted to go out somewhere.

However, sometimes things that are too good, too perfect, come to a screeching halt, or in this case a tragic end.

August 5, 2013

That was a day, none of us would ever forget. My son was at work, and his mother in-law had picked up "Baby Girl", from her home and taken her over to their above ground pool to go swimming with her cousins.

Mandy was very upset, because she received news that Riley's biological father who resided in Massachuttes, suddenly passed away at the age of 42 years old. My son stayed home with her for two days and then he had to return to work. On that fateful evening he suspected nothing unusual and although Mandy was still upset, she was feeling well physically.

When they could not get Mandy, my daughter in-law to answer the door when they bought Riley home, they became concerned and texted my son at work. He called, but received no answer, so he left work and drove home. His mother in-law was still there waiting outside. She followed him in the house, and my son looked into their bedroom, and the bathroom that was attached to the master bedroom, and no Mandy.

Then my son continued to go in the direction of the main bathroom, and what he found changed all of our lives forever.

In the hallway, outside the main bathroom of the house, here lied Mandy on the floor dead, already in rigor.

Rick, my son, had lost his wife, and Riley had lost her mother. Mandy died all alone in that house, she was twenty six years old. The cause of death was liver failure, although Mandy had a pacemaker, that failed to keep her heart beating.

That night, he had us take him to his mother in-law's house where Riley was, and that turned out to be his greatest mistake. That in itself changed the destiny of his life, my life and the life of little Riley Ann.

Riley Had Become An Orphan Biologically

However, she still had her Step Father and she had her mother's family and "Her Aunt Tamra".

The funeral was sad as all funerals were, however, this funeral was different. Their was a plot forming and the custody and future of the one little girl was in question. The viewing which we all attended became a circus, with Aunt Tamra heading the receiving line, while Mandy's husband sat with his head hung with tears in his eyes in the front row.

However, my son waited his turn, and stayed behind to say "goodbye" to his wife. When he returned to his mother in-law's house from the funeral parlor, he drove in just in time to see his sister in-law Tamra, put Riley in her car, in a car seat. Not wanting to upset Riley, he made the second biggest mistake by letting Tamra drive out of that driveway with his step daughter in her car.

According to Delaware law, Rick, my son was the only one that could file for custody, but whoever, had the child in their possession at the time, had a temporary guardianship of little Riley. The other party had to file in Family Court to reverse the order of things, Of course Riley's Aunt Tamra knew that. We had found out they had consulted an attorney before the day of the funeral.

A Court Battle Ensued

Riley's Step Father, my son called and saw if him and his sister in-law could work out some type of an agreement, and she called the police on him. He asked if the police officer could take Riley her clothes and toys, and he offered to do so, however, Tamra would not let the child have any reminders of her past life. I do not know to this day what Tamra told Riley, however, I knew that the only clothes she had of her former life were clothes on her back, and the only toy was the designer teddy bear, I had made for her, that she was holding tightly, when she drove out the driveway.

The Court Battle Never Was Decided

Although they had a few court hearings and a guardian ad litem was appointed to represent Riley, and although I had filed a petition for visitation as well, the court proceedings ground to a sudden halt because of the events on March 27, 2015.

Richard L Jacobs Jr, step-father of Riley Ann Lynn LaBier, was brutally murdered sitting in his car on the way home from work at 11:20pm. He was murdered two days before Riley's sixth birthday.

Susan E. Payton withdrew her petition for visitation, and concentrated on finding the killer of her son. And find the killer she did.

I never saw Riley again. She will turn 16 years old, on March 29,2025.