A Texas mother and father are facing murder charges after their 4-month-old daughter was discovered dead inside a hotel drawer. Cops say she was allegedly placed inside to sleep, with a towel stuffed “around the edges” to prevent her from “kicking the drawer open” due to the baby’s “piercing” screams.
Destiny Campos, 21, and Jeremy Fancher, 38, were allegedly staying at a Days Inn & Suites in the 7100 block of Rancho Mission Drive in Harris County’s Mission Bend neighborhood when first responders were called on May 26, 2024, to try to save Brookelynn Fancher.
The infant was discovered unresponsive in a drawer in the parents’ room, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the criminal complaint, a housekeeper had previously discovered the child, and Campos and Fancher were accused of “laughing” off the worker’s complaints.
“Horrific details,” wrote Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez on Saturday, following the parents’ arrests.
Paramedics arrived at Room 111 around 1 p.m. that day and attempted to revive Brookelynn, but were unsuccessful, according to the complaint.
Investigators spoke with Campos and Fancher and discovered that Brookelynn was allegedly kept inside a hotel drawer while her parents slept or did other things.
“Campos stated that defendant Fancher complained [Brookelynn’s] screams were piercing his ears,” according to the allegations. “Furthermore, defendant Fancher would feed the complainant a bottle to keep her quiet.
Regarding the complainant’s sleeping arrangements, defendant Campos stated that defendant Fancher would place the complainant inside the drawer and occasionally close it while stuffing a towel around the edges to keep the complainant from kicking the drawer open.”
On one previous occasion, the Days Inn housekeeper allegedly discovered Brookelynn while Campos was unconscious in the room and unable to be roused. The complaint states that her 18-month-old daughter was also in the room.
“The [housekeeper] recalled going into the room on one occasion from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, opening the drawer because it was completely shut and noticing the complainant inside crying, while [the 18-month-old] sat on the floor eating cookie crumbs,” according to the investigation.
“The [housekeeper] said she confronted defendant Campos about leaving the complainant inside of the drawer and defendant Campos told her it was okay, while laughing.”
Campos allegedly told police that the day Brookelynn died, she asked Fancher to come to the room and watch her while she slept. She denied placing him inside the drawer.
“Fancher stated the complainant was inside of the drawer, which at the time of his arrival was completely shut,” the complaint reads, noting that Fancher allegedly went to a local store at one point. “Before he left to the store, the drawer was slightly open but not open enough to see the complainant from the bedside.”
Fancher told cops that when he returned, Brookelynn was “lying sideways” and appeared to be not breathing, so he “immediately took her out, placed her on the bed, and performed CPR,” according to the complaint. “Fancher stated he was the last one to place the complainant inside of the drawer with a white hospital blanket,” the police allege.
Campos’ grandmother told authorities that after the child died, Campos claimed she was pregnant again with a girl and had been making ominous comments in the months since.
“She commented, ‘I’m going to have a girl. “That replaces the one I lost,” the complaint states.
Campos was arrested on Friday and charged with murder, while Fancher was apprehended on Saturday. “I’m glad our team has remained relentless and sought justice for this precious infant,” Sheriff Gonzalez wrote on X.
