Taegen McKinney

Taegen Elise McKinney 

November 11 2005 - April 15 2007

Age: 17 months old 

Taegen was born on November 11, 2005 to Cody and Jewel McKinney in New Mexico, USA. Taegen was described as a beautiful, loving, cheerful and sweet little baby, with an infectious smile and laugh. She was her family's princess and brought lots of joy to those around her. Shortly before her death, Taegen had reached an important milestone: learning to walk.

On the day Taegen received the injuries that caused her life to end, she and her brother were being watched by their babysitter, Acacia. On this particular day, Acacia's boyfriend, Jose Garcia, was also present. Acacia, Jose, Taegen, and her brother were the only people in the house at the time Taegen was injured sometime between eight and nine in the evening. Acacia was fifteen years old at the time. Jose was 18.

After Taegen's death, Jose claimed that he had been playing a game with Taegen while she was covered in clothes from the laundry basket. He said that during the game, he accidentally stepped on her. This didn't make sense though, as there were bruises all over her body. Her injuries didn't appear at all to be the result of somebody stepping on her one time.

Acacia claimed that Jose had been drinking that night. She also suspected that he had taken a lot of pills. She says that they got in a fight and Jose punched a wall, kicked a door, and strangled her during the fight. She reported that he began talking "weird" about things he was planning to do and that he claimed that he was Lucifer. Acacia says that Jose came over many times when she was babysitting and had never hurt the children or done anything to make her think he would hurt a child before.

Jose and Acacia say that they watched a movie and began to watch a second one when they noticed that Taegen was not moving at all and her eyes were halfway open. Acacia and Jose waited about six hours before going to a neighbor's home to call 911. Taegen had passed away due to blunt force trauma to her head, neck, torso, arms, and legs. Jose told police that Taegen was fine when he last saw her that night, but he also told them that after he stepped on her, she had vomited blood.

Taegen had red marks on her stomach that matched Jose's shoes, as well as other bruises on other parts of her body. Jose was charged with first degree intentional abuse causing the death of a child. He was found guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.

Rest in peace Taegen.