Daddy's girl | How tumultuous past leads to heartbreaking ending
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From daddy’s little girl to murder victim
COVINGTON, Ga. – With her eyes closed tight, Caliyah McNabb sleeps soundly wearing a teeny, pastel-colored cloth cap, which envelopes her delicate head. Her tiny, pink fleece onesie, with happy, brown, bow-wearing bears, is snapped into place and zipped up to her porcelain-like face. Stitched to the left of her outfit, is a brown label with pink letters: “Daddy’s Girl.”
It’s one of the only photos the 2-week-old baby’s family has left of her after police found her dead in the woods in Covington, Ga., on Sunday, Oct. 8. She was found wrapped inside a blue cloth underneath a log about a quarter of a mile from where the McNabbs lived in the Eagle Point Trailer Park, Newton County Sheriff's Capt. Keith Crum said.
After reviewing her body, the medical examiner revealed on Tuesday, Oct. 10, that she had died from blunt force trauma to her head.
Her 27-year-old father, Chris McNabb was charged the next day with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery and concealing a death.
How did he get to the point where, police say, he killed his infant daughter?
According to an extensive amount of records, his criminal career began when he was 14 years old. It was a precursor to more than a decade of running away, stealing and assault - tragically ending with allegedly killing his daughter.
2004 | A checkered past begins to surface
Dec. 27-
Chris is investigated for an altercation in Cartersville, Georgia
June 29-
He is charged with criminal trespassing, stolen property in Cartersville.July 7-
Chris's father, Michael, reports his 15-year-old son as a runaway. He’s found at the Best Western on GA 20, room No. 317. Police return him to his father in Cartersville.July 12-
Police respond to his Cartersville home and he is charged with criminal trespassing and damage to private property after Michael calls the police for a domestic violence offense. He tells police that after his son stole a pack of cigarettes from him, he found him asleep on the couch. He relays to police the history of their incidents with him and says that Chris refuses to listen to them or follow the rules. This call followed an altercation in which Michael says that he had to tackle his son to stop him leaving after he ran out of the house. He tells police that Chris punched the kitchen wall, leaving a hole.July 19-
At 3:45 p.m., police are dispatched to Chris's Cartersville home on Brandon Ridge for a home burglary, forced entry and a runaway after Chris's stepmother, Crystal Abitz, calls to report him.
She tells police that Chris forcibly entered her bedroom, which was dead-bolted, and stole more than $7,000 in jewelry from her dresser.
Oct. 26-
His dad reports him for running away again. He informs the officers that his son is also on probation. He did not know where Chris was.
Chris is reported to the police for running away for the fourth time in 5 months. He cut off his ankle bracelet and fled. His 26-year-old stepmother informs the police that he called a cab company prior to leaving and frequents The Crown Inn and Guesthouse Apartments.
2006 | Violence begins
Sept. 11-
Police respond to the family's new home on Hills Creek Drive in Taylorsville, Ga. where Michael claims that his son charged and pushed him onto the couch. Chris is charged with battery/simple battery, family violence, runaway.
T
June 7-
At about 11:30 p.m., 17-year-old Chris is arrested and charged with two counts of theft by taking, criminal trespassing, larceny theft, criminal damage to property, entering automobile, theft of automobile, invasion of privacy-criminal trespassing, damage to property-business and larceny theft-articles in vehicle--after an employee investigated a loud noise on the business's premises.June 18-
olice are dispatched to a Taylorsville business at 11:23 p.m. after, according to the security guard, Chris tried to run him over with a 1989 Ford truck after driving through the fence.June 27-
Just before 11 p.m., police are dispatched to Woods Fabrication on GA 13 in Taylorsville where they report a burglary. The owner, Ricky Woods, arrives and indicates his frustration because, he says, it's the fifth break-in in a small timeframe. They identify the culprit. It is Chris, who breaks into the garage and steals a 1964 white Buick Skylark and crashes it through the facility's gate.
June 30-
Chris is charged with burglary, theft by taking, burglary-no forced entry and larceny. At 9:12 a.m., the following day, police respond to a complaint that there is a suspicious vehicle that drove through his front yard and then across the street.
Police are able to identify the car's owner in Cartersville, who tells police that Chris was at his home playing music when he told him to leave and went to bed - leaving the basement door unlocked.
July 1-
At 10:13 p.m., Bartow County Sheriff's deputies arrest and charge Chris in Taylorsville, Ga. for burglary and forced entry at Woods Fabrication, again. He is captured on the company's security cameras and police escort him to Bartow County Jail.
D
Aug. 2-
Chris, 21, is released from prison 5 weeks before.A Coweta Sheriff's deputy responds to a call regarding a damaged, stolen vehicle - a 2007 Ford Escape. The car thief is Chris and he is missing from his bedroom.
At 12:15 a.m., a Fayette County sheriff's deputy is sitting in his cruiser on eastbound GA 54 when a blue Ford Escape, traveling north on GA 85, turns left on GA 54 heading west in the eastbound lane. The SUV then abruptly turns right into a parking lot behind the Old Courthouse Tavern.
When the officer attempts to make a traffic stop, the driver guns it, reaching speeds of 68 mph. The driver then jumps out of the moving vehicle and flees on foot.
Sept. 2-
On Aug. 23, Chris violates his probation and is arrested a few weeks later.
2013 | Pushes back to authority
Dec. 8-
While serving time in the Fayette County Jail, Chris is asked to gather his belongings and enter a cell for lockdown. He refuses and tells the officer that he refuses to go anywhere.The officer calls over his radio a "failure to comply" and a sergeant and detention officer arrive to assist. Sgt. Thomas Lowery attempts to gain control of Chris and grabs his wrist to put the handcuffs on him when Chris pulls away making Lowery fall. The officer tackles the unruly inmate, forcefully dropping him to the floor.
Chris is escorted out of the jail unit and charged with obstruction of an officer.