Teghan Skiba was a four-year-old girl living in Smithfield, North Carolina, with her mother, Helen Reyes, and Helen’s boyfriend, Jonathan Richardson. They lived in a barn on Richardson’s grandparents’ property, which lacked basic amenities such as running water and a bathroom. The only bedding available was a solitary air mattress on the floor. Despite the grim living conditions, Teghan was described as a “very energetic, vivacious and lovable child.” She loved the colour purple, butterflies, and catching lady bugs in her grandmother’s garden. She was born to Helen and Jerry Skiba, but due to the fact Jerry was serving time at Craven Correctional Institute in New Bern after a felony drug trafficking conviction, he was not involved in his daughter’s upbringing. Much like Jerry, Richardson also had a criminal record. He had a conviction for simple assault and injury to personal property. This case related to an incident in 2007 when he broke the windshield of his then-girlfriend’s car during an argument. He was given six months’ probation and ordered to pay restitution. He was also convicted in Wayne County in 2008 of driving while impaired. On 6 July, 2010, Teghan was left in the care of Richardson while her mother, Reyes, went to New Mexico for Army Reserves training. Just ten days later, Richardson brought Teghan to UNC Hospitals at Chapel Hill where it was discovered she was suffering from “severe bodily injuries.” Richardson had told medical personnel in the emergency room that Teghan had fallen out of bed. Upon closer inspection, however, Teghan was found to be covered in bite marks, cuts and had suffered severe head trauma. There was also evidence that Teghan had been tortured and sexually assaulted. Police were immediately called to the hospital. One of them commented: “You think about how bad you think it is, and it’s that times ten. There’s no excuse for it. It was really just a disgrace to the sanctity of human life for a human body to be tortured like this. It was just a senseless act of violence.” That night, Richardson was arrested on a felony child abuse charge, and over the weekend, medics worked tirelessly to try and save Teghan. On Monday morning, however, she tragically succumbed to her injuries. In announcing the sad development, Johnson County Sheriff Steve Bizzell said: “Over this past weekend, a community, law enforcement officers, doctors, nurses and medical staff came to love a little four-year-old girl, Teghan Skiba, who was a victim of child abuse.” The child abuse investigation swiftly transformed into a murder investigation, and detectives embarked on the family’s home where they searched the barn and also a room inside Richardson’s grandparents’ home, where he sometimes stayed. They seized a handful of ominous items including guns, knives, duct tape and drug paraphernalia.