8-year-old’s fatal injuries made her ‘unrecognizable,’ MI cops say. Mom sentenced
A mother has been sentenced in the death of her 8-year-old daughter, whom authorities say was “thoroughly tortured” and left with injuries that made her “unrecognizable,” according to Michigan authorities and news reports.
Chelsea Duperon was originally charged in March 2024 with felony murder and first-degree child abuse, according to previous McClatchy News reporting.
Now, the 31-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and will serve decades in prison, WDIV and CourtTV reported.
Officers in Wayne discovered Lyla Lynn Cassel unresponsive with injuries to her head and neck when they were dispatched to a home March 16, 2024, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
“What she endured is unfathomable,” Assistant Prosecutor Erin Wilmoth told WWJ. “The pictures reflect a child that does not even look like a child. The massive amount of swelling to her head and her face, she was completely unrecognizable.”
“Lyla was thoroughly tortured,” Judge Charise Anderson said, according to CourtTV.
Prosecutors said Lyla was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead the same day.
Duperon told authorities her daughter’s injuries occurred when she fell down stairs, WWJ reported. But a medical examiner determined Lyla’s injuries were inconsistent with those claims.
Her story later changed, telling officers Lyla was “possessed by spirits,” WJBK reported, citing court documents.
“I swear to God, this is not me. This sounds crazy, but there’s bad spirits,” she told police, according to WJBK.
Duperon later admitted to hitting her daughter three days before officers arrived and failed to give her medical attention because she thought she was improving, according to WXYZ. An autopsy revealed Lyla died from “blunt force trauma to the head,” the station said.
“The sheer brutality that innocent 8-year-old Lyla suffered on March 13 of 2024 is really like nothing I’ve ever seen in my five years of handling child abuse cases,” Wilmoth said in court, according to WJBK.
On July 28, Duperon was sentenced to 28 to 50 years in prison, WDIV reported.
Offering a statement during her sentencing, Duperon described her daughter as “the most perfect baby,” according to CourtTV.
“I will never understand why this tragedy has become our reality,” she said.
In Lyla’s obituary, loved ones referred to her as “a happy child” known for her “quick wit” and humor.
Warren is about a 20-mile drive north from Detroit.
This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 11:22 AM with the headline "8-year-old’s fatal injuries made her ‘unrecognizable,’ MI cops say. Mom sentenced."