On July 12, 2018, my 15-month-old baby cousin, Shaylynn Leeanne Elizabeth Kennedy, died after falling into the backyard pool at her home in Goodyear, Arizona. Her mother — my aunt Kristal — was attending nursing school at the time, trying to create a better future for her kids. She left Shaylynn in the care of her sister, Brianna Casteel, who was supposed to be watching her.

But Brianna left Shaylynn completely unsupervised for over an hour. Shaylynn wasn’t put in her safe gated play area. She wasn’t checked on. The back door — which even I couldn’t open as a 10-year-old — was somehow left open, leading to the pool. A door that heavy couldn’t have been opened by a 15-month-old baby. Shaylynn drowned.

Her 11-year-old sister, Nevaeh, called Aunt Kristal screaming, “Shaylynn fell in the pool and she’s not breathing!” Paramedics tried to save her, but she had no heartbeat. They injected her tiny chest with epinephrine, but it was too late. She was gone. My aunt wasn’t even allowed to hold her baby’s body — she was treated like evidence. She was never allowed to take home the dress Shaylynn died in. And she never got justice.

The Arizona Department of Child Safety substantiated neglect by both Brianna Casteel and her boyfriend Victor Sanchez. But no charges were ever filed. Brianna still walks free.

Shaylynn was a happy, bright, sassy baby girl who loved bows, dancing to music, and watching Moana. Her death was preventable — and the people who failed to protect her need to be held accountable.

I’m asking the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to reopen this case, investigate it thoroughly, and press criminal charges for the neglect that led to Shaylynn’s death.

This is not just for Shaylynn — it's for every child whose life was cut short because the adults failed them. It's for families like mine, who live every day with pain and no justice. Please help us speak her name, tell her story, and demand accountability.

#JusticeForShaylynn