AMBER Alert KENNEDY HOYLE: Missing from Memphis, TN - 1 Feb 2022 - Age 2 days *GUILTY*

September 16, 2022
Associated Press

Brandon Isabelle, 25, of Memphis, is accused of fatally shooting Danielle Hoyle, 27, and throwing the newborn into the Mississippi River, said Steve Mulroy, Shelby County district attorney.

He was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and neglect, and aggravated kidnapping. He is being held without bond.

Kennedy has been gone for more than a year now. Nothing in the news. Based on the circumstances, it seems pretty unlikely she'll ever be found.

Trial date set for man accused of tossing baby in river, killing mother​

A trial date has been set for the man accused of killing his child's mother and then throwing his two-day-old baby in the Mississippi River.

Brandon Isabelle appeared in court on Wednesday, December 6. Judge Carolyn Addison set his trial date for September 23, 2024.


Isabelle was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, murder in perpetration of aggravated kidnapping and tampering/fabricating evidence.

He pled not guilty to all charges.

Isabelle's next court date is scheduled for February 1, 2024.

Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean
Thu, February 29, 2024 at 3:26 PM EST

As dozens of law enforcement officials continue to search for 15-year-old Sebastian Wayne Drake Rogers, dozens more are quietly working behind the scenes to find the children at the center of Tennessee's unsolved Amber Alerts.

Including the search for Sebastian, there are six open Amber Alerts in Tennessee dating as far back as 2011. In most Amber Alerts, there's an obvious suspect or information to indicate what happened to the child.

<snip>

Kennedy Hoyle​

Kennedy Hoyle, who was two days old when she went missing in February 2022, is presumed dead. Her body has never been recovered, so the alert remains active.

Brandon Isabelle, Kennedy's father, was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated child abuse and neglect after he allegedly shot the mother, Danielle Hoyle, and put the infant in the Mississippi River.

Another year without Kennedy. Couldn't find any trial updates.

Man accused of killing girlfriend, throwing newborn into MS River appears in court​

Brandon Isabelle, the man accused of shooting his girlfriend to death and throwing their newborn baby into the Mississippi River in 2022, was supposed to stand trial on Monday morning, but new information means the family must wait longer.

Isabelle will still be in court on Monday for a status hearing, but his trial date has been pushed back to September of this year. He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and neglect, and aggravated kidnapping.

“A family is still seeking justice after the tragic deaths of their loved ones. It’s been more than three years, and they just want closure and a sense of peace,” said April Campbell, Danielle’s mother.

“I just hate the fact that he can call his mama. My baby can’t call me,” said Campbell.


“I just don’t see how he can kill his own child. It wasn’t no reason for it. We didn’t need him, Kennedy was going to be taken care of regardless, my grandbaby was going to have the world,” said Danielle’s mother.

Campbell says she’s raising Danielle’s oldest daughter and though it been tough, she’s remaining prayerful.

Isabelle’s trial date is set for September 22nd.

3 1/2 yrs smh.

Opening statements mark beginning of trial for man accused of killing girlfriend, tossing newborn into Miss. River​

Opening statements began Tuesday for the man accused of killing his girlfriend and then throwing their two-day-old daughter into the Mississippi River.

The trial began on Monday with jury selection.

Brandon Isabelle, now 28, is charged in the 2022 deaths of his girlfriend, Danielle Hoyle, and their newborn daughter, Kennedy.

Isabelle is facing two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse/ neglect, and aggravated kidnapping.

'Threw her into the cold, dark water': Man killed his newborn daughter and her mother on his 25th birthday to be with new girlfriend, prosecutors say​

The trial of a man charged with the murders of his infant daughter and her mother began this week, with prosecutors revealing chilling new allegations in a case that has captured national interest.

Brandon Isabelle, 28, stands charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse or neglect, and aggravated kidnapping in the deaths of 27-year-old Danielle Hoyle and their newborn child, Kennedy Hoyle. The slayings were premeditated, prosecutors argued on Tuesday, saying Isabelle constructed a plan so that his kid and "baby mama" would be out of the picture.


This new woman, who also worked at FedEx, "didn't want to deal with another child or another baby mama in the mix," according to Carpenter. As Isabelle sat in the hospital texting the new woman, she was "talking about ending things, breaking up," while he was trying to convince her to keep giving the relationship a chance.

"In the midst of these text messages in the wee hours of January, 31, 2022, baby Kennedy Hoyle was born," Carpenter continued. Isabelle is said to have left the hospital later that morning and met his new girlfriend at a small Memphis peninsula called Mud Island. They reportedly continued to discuss what they wanted, but "nothing was resolved."

Hoyle and Kennedy were released from the hospital the following day — Feb. 1, 2022 — and they returned home to meet their family, according to authorities. Then Hoyle received word from Isabelle.

He said he wanted to give their baby clothes, prosecutors recalled, and so they agreed to meet at a Mapco convenience store in the city, with Kennedy in the backseat of her mother's car.

But Isabelle allegedly had other plans.

He "convinced" her to come down another road — one that was "desolate, deserted, [and] dark" — and as she parked her car, he approached, opened the passenger side door, "and fired five shots into Danielle's car, striking her in the face and the head," Carpenter stated. He then reportedly "dragged" her body and left her "face down in a ditch so dark that all that could be seen were Danielle's bright pink shoes."

Isabelle then took his daughter in her car seat, put her in his own car, and drove away, "leaving Danielle face down, blood gushing from her head in the muddy rain water," Carpenter added. He is said to have spent time driving around before going back to his parents' home, where he lived, and changing his clothes, all while leaving Kennedy — who was not yet even 2 days old — alone in the car.

"He had one more problem to take care of," Carpenter flatly told the courtroom. He got back in his car, and drove back to Mud Island, an action reportedly captured by "real-time" law enforcement cameras, and stopped at the "old boat ramp" where the mouths of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers meet.

"He took Kennedy from her car seat, grabbed her by the leg, and threw her into the cold, dark water, not realizing that her little baby cap had fallen from her head and lay resting on the river bank," Carpenter said.

Isabelle is said to have returned home and continued texting his new girlfriend, then traveling to Walgreens to buy gifts for her. He also reportedly sent messages to Hoyle, "knowing that she'll never answer." He also drove to a nearby Walmart and dumped the car seat there, which was later found by a "Good Samaritan," prosecutors say.

Victim’s mother, suspect's lover testify in trial of Cordova man accused of killing girlfriend, baby​

The second day of the trial for the man accused of killing his girlfriend and throwing his child into the Mississippi River began with testimony from the mother of one of the victims.

Danielle Hoyle’s mother, April Campbell, tells the prosecutor that April was 27 years old, working at FedEx at the time of her death. She also states that her daughter Danielle had another child at the age of nine.

Campbell also says that she doesn’t remember when she first heard about Hoyle and Isabelle’s relationship, but she did remember having negative feelings about him after finding out he was married.

“If he’s married, how do you think he’s gonna treat you?” Campbell recalled telling Hoyle at the time.

Later, the defense asks if Campbell knew Isabelle was working toward being separated, to which Campbell said she did. She also stated that she rarely saw Isabelle, as he was rarely home at the same time as her.

Danielle was notably excited about Kennedy and even sent ultrasound photos of the child to Campbell, who affirmed that everyone in her life was elated.

Hoyle and Campbell never spoke about Isabelle much, according to Campbell, who stated that she was happy if her daughter seemed happy.

Jury hears suspect's confession and conditions of the search for 2-day-old baby​

The trial of Brandon Isabelle, who is accused of killing his girlfriend and throwing their 2-day-old baby into the Mississippi River, continued with testimony from first responders on Thursday.

First responders from multiple agencies, including the Memphis Police Department and what is now the Shelby County Sheriff's Water Recovery Unit, took the stand to describe the search for 2-day-old Kennedy Hoyle.

Agencies called on to help search for Kennedy near the boat ramp of Mud Island Park, including the Memphis Police Department, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and a dive team out of Brighton, Tennessee.

Upon looking at a photo, Sgt. Smith confirmed that a cap, believed to belong to Kennedy, was found at the scene. According to Smith, the hat was the only piece of evidence collected at the scene.

An ice storm delayed the search for several days. Smith also states that investigators, at one point, believed the gun used in Hoyle’s murder may have been thrown into the river, but it was never recovered.





Bourland was called to Mud Island to assist in the dive efforts to find Kennedy. He recalls that the water was rather dark and cold, clocking in at around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. He also states that sonar was used, but neither Kennedy Hoyle nor any other evidence was found during the search in the river.

Bourland also stated that underwater rocks and cervices provide a lot of potential hiding spots for a gun, making the search much more difficult.

Winfrey told the court that he and the diving team made the scene in the early afternoon of Feb. 2. He reaffirms what Bourland previously said regarding the use of sonar in the search. He added that while using the device underwater, divers can’t really see and are unaware of how deep they are.

Additionally, Winfrey stated that sonars picked up signals from unimportant terrain features underwater, including rocks and vegetation, which he called “riff raff”.

He testified that those conditions would make it very difficult to find the gun, as well as baby Kennedy, who would have been particularly difficult to find, given her size and young age.

Tweed is shown a video of the Mississippi River, and, along with other investigators in the trial, restate that the water levels on the river constantly change, stating that the water was particularly high on the day of the search.

He also reiterated how difficult the search for the gun and Kennedy was due to the conditions of the water at the time.



Following a long break, uninterrupted video footage of Isabelle’s interrogation was played. Before the footage started, Winbush told the courtroom that Isabelle informed detectives that he was aware of Danielle Hoyle’s disappearance.

Isabelle can be briefly heard on tape saying he met with Hoyle at a Mapco briefly to drop off some items before leaving her, according to Winbush.

Throughout the video, investigators are heard reading Isabelle his rights. Isabelle himself can be heard saying he keeps a Glock 19 pistol in a holster inside his waistband.

Later in the tape, investigators ask Isabelle directly if he knows what happened to Danielle Hoyle and if he killed her.

Isabelle tells the investigators that he and Danielle drove to the location where Danielle’s body was later found and talked. He initially stated that Danielle tried to give Kennedy away, going so far as to say that Danielle’s mother called her during their conversation.

When investigators ask about Danielle Hoyle, Isabelle claims he does not know what happened, and that he did not kill her.

Detectives later demand that Isabelle tell the truth after drawing inconsistencies in his story, questioning why a mother would allow her newborn to stay with him.

Isabelle eventually admits to shooting Danielle in her upper body after she turned toward him, although he was unable to specify the number of times he shot her. He also admits to throwing his gun into the Mississippi River.

He also expressed to investigators that he felt as though he was under a lot of pressure to get his life on track while dealing with a divorce and stated to detectives that women did not want to see him, in reference to Artesha Stewart.

The video ends after investigators ask Isabelle if he threw the Kennedy into the water. Isabelle can be seen shaking his head. The detective repeats the question before Isabelle covers his face. He mumbles a reply, but his exact words cannot be heard on video.

Investigators repeatedly ask Isabelle where he left Kennedy. Isabelle eventually tells investigators that he put Kennedy on the ground near the river.

Prosecutors rest case in Brandon Isabelle's murder trial​

State prosecutors rested their case Monday in the trial of Brandon Isabelle, who is accused of killing his girlfriend and his 2-day-old daughter.

Isabelle sat in court for the sixth day of his trial. He is charged with first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated child abuse in the deaths of 27-year-old Danielle Hoyle and baby Kennedy Hoyle.

The defense questioned testimony based on a report that detailed the location of Isabelle's phone on the night of Danielle and Kennedy's deaths on Saturday, before the prosecution submitted several surveillance videos as evidence, including one piece of footage from the Walmart where Kennedy's car seat was found. The early part of the court on Monday revolved heavily around Isabelle's texts to Artesha Stewart following Hoyle's disappearance, as well as further discussion around Isabelle's interrogation.

Brandon Isabelle receives three life sentences for killing woman, baby​

Brandon Isabelle has received three life sentences for killing his girlfriend and then throwing their two-day-old daughter into the Mississippi River more than three years ago.

The sentencing of the murder-related charges happened on Wednesday.

Isabelle was found guilty in relation to the deaths of Danielle and Kennedy Hoyle on Tuesday.

He was found guilty on all counts of the indictment, including first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping and child abuse and neglect.

Cordova man convicted of killing girlfriend, baby gets another 45 years in prison​

Brandon Isabelle, who was convicted in the 2022 death of his girlfriend and their 2-day-old baby, has been sentenced to another 45 years in prison for additional charges.

Isabelle was convicted of the deaths of 27-year-old Danielle Hoyle and their daughter, 2-day-old Kennedy Hoyle, on September 30.

Isabelle was sentenced to life in prison immediately after his conviction. On Thursday morning, he was sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison for aggravated child abuse and 22-and-a-half years for especially aggravated kidnapping.

Judge Carlyn Addison said the sentence reflects every hour of Kennedy's life.

"The fact of the matter is this: this world is darker because Danielle and Kennedy Hoyle are not here," Addison said. "There are no words that I can use that can make sense of what has happened. There are no words that I can use to bring your loved ones back."

Isabelle will serve the sentences consecutively.


Isabelle took the stand to address the court and Hoyle's family. Isabelle apologized to Hoyle's family, as well as the court.
"These things that I go through every day, they eat me up inside," Isabelle said. "These tragic proceedings do hurt. I understand what I did, and I take full ownership of what I did."
Isabelle said that he prays that he makes better decisions for himself and those around him moving forward.


During sentencing, the prosecution read a victim-impact letter that Hoyle's sister had written.

"The happiest day of my life turned into the worst day of my life," the letter stated. "Brandon, if you didn't want her, you should've just stayed away. She was going to be loved regardless."

Hoyle's mother, April Campbell, took the stand to describe how Hoyle and Kennedy's deaths impacted their family.

"I miss my girls. Everybody misses them. All we got is pictures and memories, and that's not right," Campbell said.

While on the stand, Campbell directly addressed Isabelle.

"There was no need for you to do anything, Brandon," Campbell said. "You could've walked away. You should've stayed gone. You shot my baby five times in the head, like she was a rabid dog. I can't forgive you for that, no matter how hard I try."