Mom’s New Boyfriend Helps Her Boil Daughter Alive
Let’s say you’re a mother with a daughter from a previous relationship. You have a new boyfriend that you end up having another beautiful daughter with. You still love and cherish your first little girl just the same, wouldn’t you? You wouldn’t automatically resent her, mistreat her, or force her to live in squalor. You wouldn’t subject her to the things that would lead to her demise, right? Today’s story is about a horrible mother and her bum boyfriend that did just that.
Candace Renee Diaz didn’t have the best upbringing. While growing up in Western Kentucky in 1998, when she was just four years old, her mother, Roina Diaz, left her in the care of her alcoholic grandmother. It was during one of these days with her grandmother that Candace sustained severe burns all over her body during a house fire, which required multiple surgeries to correct. Roina and the grandmother were later arrested and charged with second-degree criminal abuse due to the injuries that the little girl suffered, and they were incarcerated at the Hopkins County Jail in Madisonville, Kentucky.
During her mother’s incarceration, Candace was placed in the custody of a relative and guardian, Cynthia Diaz. In June of 2000, Roina lost parental rights to seven-year-old Candace after Cynthia filed a petition for custody, citing that the mother provided no support and had almost no contact with her daughter in two years. While incarcerated, Roina made a few phone calls to Candace, but eventually, she stopped doing so. But where was Candace’s father, Timothy Mullins, while all of this was going on? Well, at the time, he too was incarcerated, although the reasons for that incarceration are unclear. Later, he sought to contest the petition for custody filed by Cynthia, but later withdrew his objections. Much like Roina, Timothy did nothing to financially support his little girl for two years after the petition.
Although Cynthia adopted Candace, provided for her, and gave her a stable home life, some of the trauma that Candace suffered as a little girl caught up with her, and she went on to follow in her biological mother’s footsteps with regards to poor decision-making. It should be noted that during the course of our story, Cynthia and Candace uprooted from Kentucky to Michigan. It should also be noted that other creators on YouTube have stated that Candace went on to live with her biological mother, Roina, as an adult. This is false, and we’ll make sure to have our sources linked for you in the show notes.
As an adult, Candace and her boyfriend, Kyle Barrett, stayed in Cynthia’s home after the couple welcomed their first baby, Gabrielle Renee, into the world on July 3, 2013. Friends and family referred to the little girl as Gabby. Unfortunately, like many young couples, their relationship was very short-lived, and Kyle left in 2014 when Gabby was only three or four months old.
In early 2015, when Gabby was 18 months old, Candace met and began a relationship with a man named Brad Edward Fields, who was four years her senior. Soon, Candace would begin spending less time in Cynthia’s home and more time in Brad’s. The couple moved a few times before settling in the Rawsonville Woods mobile home community located in Belleville, Michigan, a town 20 miles southeast of Ann Arbor and 37 miles southwest of Detroit. Gabby was left with Cynthia while her mother was out gallivanting with her new beau, and honestly, since Cynthia was a good provider for the little girl, this would have been the more desired outcome. However, when Gabby turned four, Cynthia was unable to enroll her into Pre-K in her school district due to not being her legal guardian. As such, Gabby went to live with Candace and Brad in his trailer for this reason.
But the honeymoon stage with Brad wouldn’t last long. In 2016, Candace called 9-1-1 after running from their shared trailer and seeking refuge in a community clubhouse after Brad allegedly punched her in the face, smashed her cell phone, shot the family dog, shot himself in the leg, and as she was fleeing to safety, told her, “See if you can outrun these bullets.” It’s unknown if the dog survived.
When police responded to the scene, they noted the extreme uncleanliness of the home. Flies were everywhere, there was a pungent smell due to old garbage that had not been disposed of, decaying food, stacks of unclean dishes piling up in the sink, dog waste on both the living room floor and in the kids’ bedroom, and a pet rabbit living in a squalid cage that had not been cleaned. In addition to general squalor, there was blood all over the floor. A search of the trailer yielded a taser, prescription pills, a box containing drug paraphernalia including scales, a camouflage bag containing an assortment of knives, a .40 caliber Glock handgun with two magazines, a Smith & Wesson .38 Special, and one magazine for a 9mm handgun that was not located in the search. The guns had been hidden in the heater floor grates of both the bathroom and the living room; one of which had its serial number scratched off, and the other was unregistered.
Brad was initially arrested and charged with domestic violence. However, three days later, Candace went down to the police station and requested that these charges be dropped. She claimed that her boyfriend was schizophrenic and had not been taking his medication. Additionally, Candace went on to claim that the two firearms seized from the home were hers. Due to one being unregistered and one having its serial number scratched off, Candace incriminated herself, and she in turn was arrested. Candace’s poor decision-making doesn’t end here; while being searched in booking, a blank prescription pad was found in her possession. Candace was charged and pled guilty to altering firearms and the possession of the prescription pad, and she received two years of probation.
There’s an awful lot to unpack here, and we’re not even that deep into today’s story yet. Even if Candace decided to drop the domestic charges against Brad, you’d think there would still be other charges he’d have to answer for. Maybe Brad could have gotten disorderly conduct or gotten in trouble for discharging the weapon within the township. Allow me to quote the Van Buren Charter Township which applies to Wayne County, Michigan, where Belleville is located. Chapter 58, Article 7, Division 2, Section 58-338 states: “It shall be unlawful for any person to discharge any firearm or other instrument producing a like effect and noise within the township, except in the lawful defense of his person or property or as otherwise permitted by law.” So with that in mind, the D.A. could have still easily continued to prosecute Brad on other charges, right? Apparently, this wasn’t the case. It’s unclear why Brad wasn’t charged for firing a gun recklessly in a trailer park where many other people easily heard the gunshots.
Beyond the handgun incident involving Candace, Brad was guilty of animal cruelty for shooting the family dog, in addition to the poor condition that the rabbit was kept in, but he wasn’t charged for that either. One would only hope that the poor dog survived the ordeal and that the rabbit was seized from the home, but there isn’t any information available regarding their status. However, due to the fact that the kids were allowed to remain in a home filled with squalor where shots were fired, I really don’t think anything was done to rescue the family pets, unfortunately. And that is kids, plural. During this time, Candace had a baby with Brad, a little girl by the name of Zoe. By all accounts, Zoe was loved and well taken care of, but the same could not be said for Gabby.
A lot of the mistreatment of Gabby seemed to center around bathroom accidents that she was having. She was only four years old now. At the time, Gabby was potty trained; Cynthia saw to that. She was out of diapers at 18 months old, but she’d still have the occasional accident, like many toddlers do. However, a lot of her accidents seemed to occur at home, as it was noted by her Pre-K teaching assistant that Gabby didn’t have these types of accidents in the classroom. Now, I’m sure you can think back to Pre-K or kindergarten where the classrooms had their own bathrooms for students to use within the classroom. That was Gabby’s setup, so she didn’t have any issues going to the bathroom on her own.
Sometimes bathroom-related issues in young kids can be a sign there’s mistreatment going on in the home. It’s a stress response which only gets worse if the parent responds to the accidents through yelling or physical harm. As Gabby wasn’t having these issues at school or with Cynthia, and she didn’t have any underlying medical issues, one could speculate what the problem was, and that problem will become as plain as day to see as our story progresses.
Rather than lovingly supporting Gabby, Candace and Brad would do the following: repeatedly strike Gabby in the face and other parts of her body, frequently subject her to ice-cold baths, forcefully scratch her back with their nails, force her to ingest unprescribed Adderall despite her suffering from side effects from the drug, and finally, shanking her with a fork. And that last one was in Brad’s own words—per his admission, he said that he shanked her with a fork. Brad and Candace would force Gabby to wear a garbage bag, take away her pants, strip her of her bedding and force her to sleep in the cold living room, and would keep her in soiled diapers.
Additionally, Brad and Candace would document their mistreatment of Gabby via Facebook Messenger, with Brad threatening to drown the little girl with his own bodily waste and forcing her to eat her own excrement. In one such message, Brad sent a video to Candace of him mistreating her daughter by making her wear a trash bag around the home, to which she responded asking Brad if he’d like anything from McDonald’s.
On New Year’s Eve of 2017, Brad and Candace shared a picture of themselves holding baby Zoe wishing everyone a Happy New Year, but there was one person missing from the family picture: little Gabby.
On New Year’s Day 2018, little Gabby Barrett suffered for the final time at the hands of her mother and her mother’s boyfriend. The couple filled up the tub with scalding water and placed the toddler inside, essentially boiling her skin off of her body. When she became unresponsive, rather than calling 9-1-1, Candace called her adoptive mother, Cynthia, at 10:05 a.m. Cynthia made a 30-minute drive to the couple’s home where she attempted CPR. At 10:41 a.m., 9-1-1 was finally called.
Here is Cynthia’s testimony regarding her arrival:
Question: “I called you on New Year’s Day… my daughter Candace… what described her to me, the only thing I can tell you is she was crying and she said Gabby wasn’t responding. And all I know is I said I’m on my way since I was in Westland.” Question: “You walk into the trailer, know what happened?” Cynthia: “Candace met me at the door and opened it, and we went back to the bathroom.” Question: “And when you went back to the bathroom, what did you observe?” Cynthia: “My granddaughter on the floor.” Question: “Did you observe any other adults?” Cynthia: “Yes, Brad was in there giving her CPR.” Question: “Did you see her coloring?” Cynthia: “The coloring looked normal to me. Yeah, the color part was skin.” Question: “Excuse me, how long did the compressions from Brad go on in the bathroom?” Cynthia: “Until I took over.” Question: “How long before you took over?” Cynthia: “Probably two, three minutes.” Question: “Did you instruct anybody to make any other phone calls?” Cynthia: “Yes, I told Candace to call 9-1-1.” Question: “At any of the points that you were doing CPR, did your granddaughter respond?” Cynthia: “No.” Question: “Did her color still look just right here?” Cynthia: “It looked the same as when I came in, which is why, normal to me.” Question: “So you remained in the bathroom, was that right, for a while?” Cynthia: “I remained in the bathroom until the police took over the CPR.” Question: “Did you notice any water in that bathroom at all?” Cynthia: “No.” Question: “No, you did not notice?” Cynthia: “No, there was no water in the bathroom. There was no water in the bathroom at all, right on the floor, not in the tub, and there was no one getting wet.” Question: “Was your daughter wet at all?” Cynthia: “No.” Question: “Was Brad wet at all?” Cynthia: “To my knowledge, no.” Question: “Did you see anything wrong with her skin or physically wrong with her in the bathroom?” Cynthia: “All I saw was the red marks behind her calf on each leg and on her backside where her butt is.” Question: “And when did you notice that?” Cynthia: “When I took over CPR.” Question: “Was she laying on her stomach or her back?” Cynthia: “She was on her back.” Question: “How did you see the red marks on her behind and so on?” Cynthia: “I’m sorry, they came towards the front of her stomach.” Question: “Were you able to tell what those red marks looked like?” Cynthia: “The only thing I can tell you is on the legs it was like there was a little bit of the skin, like when you get a blister, and on the back it was a little better, but other than that, that’s all I could tell you.” Question: “And what were you told?” Cynthia: “That she had passed away.”
Candace claimed that Gabby had a habit of sneaking off and starting her own baths, and the day prior she started a bath for herself that was far too hot, resulting in her being scalded. She claimed that she wanted to take another bath that day, so Candace obliged her and filled the tub up about halfway with lukewarm water, put the little girl inside, and left her unattended to go make pancakes. This is, of course, by Candace’s own admission. According to Candace, Gabby loved baths and it was not uncommon for her to spend an hour or two playing in the water. Now Candace claims she left her unattended for about that long, and when she returned to check on her, Gabby was face up in the water unresponsive. According to Candace, she pulled her out from the tub and Gabby began to throw up.
According to police that responded to the scene, none of the adults were performing CPR on the little girl when they arrived, and there was no water to be found in the bathtub. Aside from Gabby’s hair appearing to be slightly damp and a few wet towels, there was no water in the tub, on the floor, and none of the adults appeared to have any water on their clothes, which was extremely suspicious as they had been called to the scene for a suspected drowning. There was no vomit on the floor either, but there were burns on Gabby’s body. According to paramedics, they couldn’t tell exactly when the injuries took place, but they were indeed second-degree burns and they were past the blistering stage. The top layer of skin was totally missing, leaving red wounds in its place.
Paramedics also found damning evidence that contradicted Candace’s version of events. While in the ambulance, Gabby was intubated and no water was found in her lungs. Additionally, Gabby’s fingers lacked pruning, a telltale sign that one’s been submerged in water for an extended period of time. If Gabby had been in the water for two hours, pruning would have been present. Candace decided to ride to the hospital with the paramedic in the ambulance while Brad stayed at home with Zoe.
All the while, the couple texted damning messages to one another with the police present. Candace told Brad that she was probably going to jail and to get rid of everything ASAP. She inferred that if Gabby lived, she’d probably be taken from her because she’d tell the mandated reporters that she wasn’t being taken care of. She closed her message letting Brad know that she was done and that she was going to kill herself. Brad responded that the police were trying to search him and Zoe and that he was probably going to jail because he wouldn’t consent to the trailer being searched.
Luckily for the police, they were able to obtain a warrant and they didn’t need Brad’s permission. The couple’s cell phones were later seized, and all of the incriminating messages that they’d been sending to each other throughout the day and in the past were discovered. The search of the trailer uncovered chunks of skin and clumps of hair, later identified as belonging to Gabby, in the bathtub drain. A garbage bag with several pieces of bloody gauze, clumps of hair with blood stains, plastic gloves, an empty bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and boxes of topical ointment were found in the laundry room. The clumps of hair were found to have DNA belonging to Gabby, while Brad and Gabby’s DNA were found on several pairs of the recovered gloves. There was no bedding whatsoever in Gabby’s bedroom, and her bed was leaned up against the wall. A white powdery illicit substance was also discovered in the home.
Gabrielle Renee Diaz was transported to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she was declared dead. Her cause of death was listed as septic shock and battered child syndrome, with her manner of death listed as homicide. But this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the horrors that four-year-old Gabby Diaz was subjected to. Gabby suffered from multiple inflicted injuries, including blunt force trauma, a fatal burn pattern, thermal and asphyxia injuries, and she had indications of having been suffocated by a hand placed over her mouth and nose.
A toxicology report revealed the presence of caffeine and amphetamines. Her hair was matted and lice-ridden with several contusions to her scalp. It was surmised that due to these contusions, Gabby’s hair had been forcibly pulled from her scalp. She was covered in second-degree scalding burns at various locations on her body, and it’s unfortunately been noted that Gabby’s big toe had completely melted off. She suffered from malnourishment and had some degree of decay or necrosis in all of her teeth. Her body was covered in numerous lacerations and other injuries in various stages of healing, with significant bruising among other injuries. It was the opinion of the pathologist who performed the autopsy that Gabby would have been in extreme pain from all of her injuries. Furthermore, there was nothing characteristic of a death by drowning found in the autopsy. This means Gabby was in terrible agony until her very last moments on this Earth.
A few days later, a warrant for the arrest of Candace Diaz and Brad Fields was authorized; however, the couple was nowhere to be found. An all-points bulletin was put out for their black 2002 Chevy Cavalier with the Michigan plate DTR 1854. Days later, the two were found and arrested in Lowndes County, Georgia, near the Florida-Georgia line. While in custody, Brad stated that all of this was just a misunderstanding and that they were on their way back to Michigan to turn themselves in to the U.S. Marshal’s office.
While on trial, the pair cited their many severe mental illnesses, for which they admitted to not be treating. Candace, who was now 24 years old, claimed to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. She also cited her poor upbringing at the hands of her biological mother. Brad, who was now 28, claimed to be diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, social anxiety, agoraphobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In court, Candace’s adoptive mother Cynthia appeared to be trying to cover for her daughter given what we know about Gabby’s condition at the time of her death. Cynthia’s account of her granddaughter didn’t seem to make sense.
Question: “When did you see her?” Cynthia: “The week of Thanksgiving. I had her the whole week.” Question: “And what was her condition at that point?” Cynthia: “Fine.” Question: “Notice anything about her weight?” Cynthia: “No.” Question: “Did you notice anything about her hair?” Cynthia: “No.” Question: “What about her mouth and teeth?” Cynthia: “They were fine.” Question: “How was her behavior?” Cynthia: “Naturally, it was great.” Question: “When she toilet trained that week?” Cynthia: “Yes.” Question: “Were there accidents that week?” Cynthia: “No.” Question: “So she was away for a week in November, the week of Thanksgiving with you, is that right?” Cynthia: “Yes.” Question: “You saw nothing that would cause you to be concerned, especially about that, yeah, is that right?” Cynthia: “Yes.” Question: “When’s the next time you saw her after that?” Cynthia: “Christmas Day.” Question: “And what did you notice about her that day?” Cynthia: “She was happy because I was there so we could open up presents.” Question: “Did you see anything physical about her?” Cynthia: “No, no problems.” Question: “Even then, is that your testimony?” Cynthia: “Yes, ma’am.” Question: “What about her hair?” Cynthia: “It was fine.” Question: “Did you notice anything in it?” Cynthia: “No. I know she had lice, but you can’t see lice from where I’m sitting to where you are.” Question: “And she was just, was she just her same happy self?” Cynthia: “Yes, she was.”
Brad Edward Fields was charged with first-degree felony homicide, second-degree homicide, first-degree child abuse, and torture. His defense team argued that he was not involved in Gabby’s mistreatment; however, the messages he sent back and forth with Candace proved otherwise. On October 9, 2018, he was found guilty on all charges and will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Candace Renee Diaz was charged with all the same charges as Brad; however, on December 5, 2018, she took a plea deal which reduced her charges to just second-degree homicide and first-degree child abuse. All other charges were dropped. She was sentenced to 30 to 60 years behind bars. Let us know in the comments if you think she deserved a lighter sentence than Brad or if she even should have been offered a plea deal in the first place.
At sentencing, Justice Vonda Evans completely let her have it:
“When a woman gives birth, she’s closer to death than life. Her body opens up to reveal another life. It is one of the most beautiful and fulfilling parts. A mother’s job is to train and nurture her child into adulthood. It’s her gift to humanity: the gift of life. You killed your daughter for the love of a bum named Brad, an unemployed, drug-taking, manipulative loser. Your beautiful daughter Gabby was a sacrifice you gave that bum Brad to fulfill his sick and demonic sense of love and control. You allowed him to put your child in a garbage bag when she wet herself. To give her drugs. Your response was, ‘Brad, beat her ass.’ What crime could this precious child commit that would cause such severe punishment? None. After he showed you a video of him torturing your child in a garbage bag, your response was, ‘Do you want some McDonald’s?’ You were never a mother to your child. You are a female breeder who neglected your child for the love of a bum named Brad. Never in my 21 years on the bench have I seen a child sustain the injuries inflicted upon her: dental decay, burn injuries on her behind, vomit in her lungs, immersion burns resulting in her being placed in scalding hot water, and traumatic alopecia—her hair was pulled out from her scalp while she was alive. The ultimate cause of death was septic shock. Her little body couldn’t take any more abuse.”
Visitation for Gabby was held at the Uht Funeral Home in Westland, Michigan, with a private funeral held the following day as the little girl was cremated. It’s unknown whether or not she was laid to rest in a public setting. In the aftermath of Gabby’s death, Zoe was taken away by the State of Michigan and her whereabouts remain sealed. One can only hope that she’s safe, loved, and in good hands.
Gabby’s father, 26-year-old Kyle Barrett, had no idea of what was going on inside of the trailer where his daughter lived with Candace and Brad. The last time he’d seen Gabby was just before he turned himself in to authorities on a warrant in September. Sadly, Kyle was released from the Washtenaw County Jail on January 3rd, two days after his daughter’s death. His final memory of Gabby is that he was able to give her a hug and a kiss; he got to tell her that he loved her.
According to Kyle’s father, Jerry Barrett, his granddaughter had an upbeat personality and loved the movie Frozen. He described her as a little angel. Jerry said the last time he saw his granddaughter was a week or two before Halloween. He said he didn’t know precisely where Gabby lived and had no idea what conditions were like in the home until he heard news reports following her death. His first time there was for a candlelight vigil. He stated, “We didn’t know. We would have gone and removed her from the home. If I had known, I would have been there in a heartbeat.”
