Bad Boyfriend accused of drowning 2-year-old girl
2-year-old killed: Neighbor talks about suspect, mother’s healing:
2-year-old girl drowns; man charged:
This story happened reasonably local to me last week.
20-year-old Wesley Paul Canipe was baby sitting 2-year-old Lilly Willover of Shelby, NC while her mother was at work.
Canipe says that Lilly was in the bathtub and he just took his eyes off of her for a moment and she drowned. However police say that Canipe drowned Lilly in the bathtub.
So far there has been no motive mentioned.
More importantly though there a fund has been set up to help cover Lilly’s medical and funeral costs.
Donations can be sent to: Lillyan Ray Willover and Family Fund, c/o Marshall Bradley, Wachovia Bank, 213 South Washington St., Shelby, NC 28150.
Thanks to DPW for the tip.
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August 17th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
I don’t think it’s possible to drown in a tub unless you are totally drunk, you hit your head, or you are a quadriplegic or very young baby.
2 year olds can sit up, they are lively little people. There is no way either of my children could have drowned in the tub, no way. I bet any money that he had his filthy way, panicked, and tried to “clean her up” then just got rid of the “evidence”. No mercy. I would like to reinstate the dunking stool for drowners. “My object all sublime, I shall achieve in time, is let the punishment fit the crime, the punishment fit the crime!” – G&S
February 8th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
You’re probably right.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:51 am
is it just me??? or does anybody else NOT allow ANYBODY else apart from me or my child’s father to bathe our 4 year old son? not even grandparents are allowed to bathe him.
August 18th, 2009 at 7:41 am
Mare,
I agree with you.
I have a 2 year old daughter, Skye, who is about to be 3. She is a very sturdy, robust and active child who wouldn’t drown in the bath if I stepped away for a moment.
I’d say it safe to say that if somebody tried to stick her head under water, or at any rate her face, she would fight them and kick at them and make a lot of noise. She hates for her hair to get rensed off and fights that… I call B.S. on this scumball’s story! No way a 2 year old child could drown like he said under normal bath time setting.
What a stupid man. Awful man. Hope he meets with a bad end head first in a clogged toilet or something.
August 19th, 2009 at 2:57 am
I agree with Wendy – I am the only one allowed to bathe our daughter. Mare may have a point, the guy may have been trying to get rid of evidence. I don’t want to be dirty minded but it’s the scenario that best fits with the facts provided.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:36 am
Can mothers stop using these boyfriends for free daycare. Especially, if they hardly know them. I can’t help but wonder how long had mom been with the BF before he started watching Lilly. And I’m with the other posters no two-year old is drowning in the bathtub if you step away for a moment.
Poor Lilly. Rest in Peace baby girl.
August 20th, 2009 at 11:22 am
I agree, Lori. And “no motive?” How about NMB Syndrome? (Not MY Baby)
August 20th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
lori, I totally agree. There are too many of these stories. Mainly they are very young(the parents) and the mother needs a babysitter, so to her it’s perfect. I would have to say that if I were single and had a child, I would really have to know my boyfriend very well in order to trust him. I am really getting tired of all of these boyfriend child killers. Not to sound stereotypical but most of these guys never look very upstanding.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Just want to add that I read an article that said they had only been dating for 3 months. Not really long enough to know someone to be able to leave your child with, in my opinion.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/article2597633.ece
Hi Pak31…I was just about to post on this thread and found this…The world has become a sick place .
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:58 am
I have seen countless threads and posts since this happened and am so tired of hearing the idiots that blame the mom. Did you ever stop to think they were friends for more than 3 mths and only just started dating? That she is a single, working mother baby’s daddy somewhere else so he can’t do his part? Perhaps on a normal working night the baby stayed at grandma’s and she had no other choice this night? Apparently this a** had everyone fooled including his own family so I suggest you morons take your heads out of your a**es and have some respect for a mother who lost her sweet angel way too soon.
August 22nd, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Sorry “fedup” but I still maintain my position in my post. Too many times, too many stories, too many children, killed, molested, and abused at the hands of their mothers’ boyfriends. And frankly, I am fed up with that!!! No matter the circumstances, it is never okay to take “risks” with our children. No matter what that means!!! Including losing your job!
I am sorry that this little baby girl is gone absolutely way too soon. She was an adorable little girl. I’m also sorry for the circumstances that the mother “felt” like she was put in, that inevitably ended in her baby girl’s untimely demise.
August 23rd, 2009 at 1:21 pm
I’m not saying I don’t agree with your post I have three children of my own and the amount of molesters and abusers out there is unbelievable, if you search for babies that drown in tubs most of them are drowned by there own parents not the boyfriend. Children are also getting molested by their own flesh and blood as well as the neighborhood minister or the nice old man across the street. How can you accuse this mother of being a bad mother by what little the media has said about the case? I guess I am just a little bias Lilly was a sweet angel and her mother was devoted to her. I don’t know why I picked this post to vent I certainly can’t blame anyone for the way they feel and I don’t know anymore about the circumstances than anyone else but I do know the family and I know how well she took care of her daughter. She’s not some crackhead momma leaving her child with any tom,dick, or harry that comes along. Have you ever been poor? Because the way you talk “even if it means losing your job” makes me think you don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck just barely hanging on by a thread. When jobs are few and far between you try to hang on to the good ones. Did you not hear the part about her not being able to pay for the funeral? That wasn’t just for sympathy she really could not pay for her own daughter’s funeral.
August 23rd, 2009 at 1:41 pm
fedup:
I had my first child at 19. The father wasn’t interested in helping out, so it was all on me. I made the mistake of leaving my kid with a sitter I didn’t know only ONCE. I checked up on her daily, and by the second day, I had decided to never leave my child with someone I didn’t know well again. I took her to work with me for 3 days before my boss found out. (I worked 3rd shift at a convenience store.) If my boss had been anything other than the wonderful person that she turned out to be – I could have lost my job. And that would have been fine with me too. I would rather have a live child than a job of ANY kind. I’d rather beg for food on a street corner, and know my child is safe with me – than have a job that would cause me to have to leave the most precious part of my life with someone who might kill her. I wasn’t living paycheck to paycheck at that time, either….my paychecks never lasted until the next one was cut. I wasn’t at the end of my rope…the end of my rope was constantly hanging a couple of feet above my head. I depended on the church when I had to, and took odd jobs painting houses on the side. But my child was safe. My child (now children) are more important to me than any job will EVER be. Period.
August 24th, 2009 at 7:56 am
I’m sorry for you because I’d think someone who attends church would have a little more faith. You were lucky enough to get that second chance with your baby what if there were no second day? For all you know this was her ONCE. You are not the only teenage mama with a dead-beat daddy I had my first child at 18 and have NEVER left him with a sitter. My mother is the only person I trust with my children. He’s now 11. Had my second 5 years ago and he has NEVER been to a sitter or with anyone else. I don’t trust anyone to do the job I know I can do better.
August 24th, 2009 at 9:41 am
fedup:
I have all the faith in the world…..you really shouldn’t question the faith of others…you have no idea what their motivations may or may not be. BTW, my husband is a minister. I don’t just attend church, I participate in it fully. I have no doubt that God is the reason for everything I have, and everything I am. He has truly blessed me, more than I deserve, I’m sure.
I was simply relating a story from my own experience – much the same way you did in your comment directly above mine. I didn’t even mention your friend ONCE! Yet, you felt it necessary to personally attack me. Why is that, I wonder? I don’t believe I made a single negative statement about your friend at all. It was all about me. Because, that’s the kind of selfish witch I am, lol. Try reading the comment carefully before exploding on another person next time.
You had a parent you could trust with your child – not everyone has that. My parents were abusive, and I wouldn’t have left one of my kids with them if they were the last people on earth. I didn’t have a mother I could trust. And I know I am not the only person to have ever been a teenage mother with a deadbeat daddy. There are millions. I now have a wonderful husband – and SIX children. I am a stay at home mom, and wouldn’t have it any other way. I am with my children every day. I am there when they leave for school, and I am there when they get home. I am there to tuck them in to bed. My husband provides the house – I provide the home.
We might have more – be able to go on fancy vacations, or buy more ’stuff’ – if I went to work, but the safety and well-being of my family is paramount. I would rather do without the vacations, and be with my kids, than to leave my kids with strangers and have more money. It’s called sacrifice.
Before you lecture someone, you should first examine your own life, and how it applies to the situation. And not put words into someone else’s mouth – because YOU misread a comment.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
“I’m not saying I don’t agree with your post I have three children of my own and the amount of molesters and abusers out there is unbelievable, if you search for babies that drown in tubs most of them are drowned by there own parents not the boyfriend.” I do not deny there are plenty of biological parents out there that are horrible scum. After all, this blog is called “parentsbehavingbadly”. I don’t want there to be any more stories of abuse, neglect, or kids being hurt in any way. While children are, sometimes unfortunately so, trusted with their own parents I feel like single mothers have to be ever more diligent in making sure that the men they are bringing into their lives are not abusers, neglectors, or killers.
“Have you ever been poor?” Yes, and I still am as far as I’m concerned. I live paycheck to paycheck. The money is spent before I even get it most of the time. I don’t know what this has to do with putting my kids at risk. No job is worth that. Period. From your posts you are a stay-at-home mom. That’s great but what if that were not the case? What would you do if you had to work and didn’t have a family member you trusted to keep your children? You would do the same thing most of us do when we need to find daycare for our children. You would interview, check references, check backgrounds, etc. to find a daycare that your child would be happy at and with people you can trust. All I’m saying is maybe mothers should do the same with boyfriends before leaving their children with them. I am a single mom with 2 kids. One I had when I was 16 and one when I was 30. I have a very small support system in the way of family. I have had to leave work because my kids were sick, not go to work because I did not have daycare. I have been on the verge of losing jobs due to absence for my kids. But hey they are number 1 in my life so they always come first. Always! Like Angel I would beg on the street before leaving my children in a situation I was not completely comfortable with. The price of taking risks with my kids is much higher than the chance of losing a job. Eventually a job can be replaced, even if it isn’t as great as the previous one, a child can’t. Obviously, because you have personal ties with the family it is hard for you to read this blog. But personally I don’t care what type of parent the mother was, all I care about is that another sweet little girl lost her life at the hands of a monster due to what I feel was carelessness on behalf of the mother. If you didn’t have a relationship with this family would your view be different. Read some of the other articles on this site and tell me if you feel differently than me. Trust me you will fault mothers (and fathers) for not doing their due diligence to ensure their children will be safe with who they entrust with their care.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:46 am
I have been a stay-at-home mom and a working mom. I have begged and borrowed to make ends meet. I have been without a home and was lucky enough to have parents that let my son sleep there while I worked all night. When I couldn’t I lost my job. He had a doctors appointment and there went another one. I agree my opinion may be different if I hadn’t known the family like the rest of you. I know that she was devoted to her child and is barely hanging on. I was not attacking anyone’s faith to tell you the truth I didn’t even realize you were a different person because you were all saying the same thing. All I was saying is how can you judge a mother you don’t know anything about? It is the Lord’s job to be the judge and Canipe will burn in hell for what he did. I pray that Lilly’s mother has the strength to get through this. Don’t you guys worry I won’t be getting your knickers in a twist anymore because I’d rather be playing blues clues.
August 25th, 2009 at 9:42 am
I have been both a stay at home and a working mom, have had my share of bad babysitting experiences and bad experiences with my ex when he watched our boys and i had to work. thank god that i have one of the most awesome babysitters in the universe…when she decides to stop working hopefully my kids will be old enough to be home alone (like when they are 20 or so…lol)
Angel, bless your boss for being that understanding. I wish there were more people in the world like that. I am the Operations Manager of a small transportation company and i have a mom on staff that doesnt have child care. she brings the baby to work and we all help her take care of her daughter. we believe strongly in family and help to take care of those in need. my baby is 8 so any chance to play with a baby, ill take it..rofl. i know that we are nowhere near typical and our owners have made comments on occasion, but we dont listen…lol. family, helping others, and giving people chances they wouldnt get anywhere else is our…motto…mission…whatever you want to call it.
with that said, my thoughts and prayers go out to the mom and to Lilly. as for that slime….i know he will get whats comming to him.
August 26th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
(No worries and no knickers twisted)
“All I was saying is how can you judge a mother you don’t know anything about?”
I didn’t judge her, just her actions………….