Last week, a Texas judge found Melissa Towne not guilty by reason of insanity for the crime of killing her 5-year-old daughter, Nichole Bradshaw-Towne in October 2022. Towne is being sent to serve time in a state mental health facility, but for Nichole’s family and the people who have been following this case, it’s hard to say that her mother is being held accountable. The following story is deeply upsetting, proceed with caution.
A Child’s Final Plea
The prosecutors’ description of Nichole’s last moments is harrowing. At Spring Creek Park, Melissa allegedly told her daughter to kneel. According to court documents, Nichole begged for her life, saying “I’ve been good,” as she put up a fight. Authorities say Melissa slit her throat, then suffocated her with a trash bag when she realized the child was still alive. The attack lasted half an hour. By the time Melissa drove Nichole to the hospital, the bag was still on the child’s head. Nurses rushed out to the car, but it was too late.
The Court’s Decision
Melissa Towne was charged with capital murder, but last week Judge Mark Ellis ruled she was not guilty by reason of insanity; this decision The case hinged on her long history of untreated schizophrenia and past psychiatric hospitalizations. The court accepted that she was not legally responsible for her actions, even though prosecutors argued she had made a deliberate decision to kill her daughter.
CPS Had Their Eyes On Towne
Smyrna Police Detective Marcy Gossett with the the Family Crime Unit at the Smyrna Police Department speaks about the the of cases she oversees, during an interview at the police department, on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.
Court documents and CPS records show the red flags stretched back years. Reports of untreated schizophrenia. Hospital stays. Claims that baby Nichole was talking to her. By 2022, CPS had been alerted that Nichole was covered in scars and insect bites and wasn’t in school. Just ten days before her death, the agency was told she was in danger. CPS opened a case but left her with her parents. In hindsight, the warnings feel unbearable.
Remembering Nichole
Nichole’s family describes her as the sweetest little girl, full of giggles and curiosity. Her father called her a child who “never met a stranger.” Her aunt remembered her as “too good for this earth.” She loved and she laughed, and she trusted the adults around her. That trust was betrayed—by her mother, and by the systems meant to protect her.
