The father of Nikayla Towns speaks out about his long wait for justice

Smithfield Police say Nikayla lost her life because her mother suffers from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental problem.

"I looked in a baby's book. I wanted to compile my name with hers so I just came up with Nikayla."

His daughter shared part of his name but owned all of Nicholas Kelly's heart. The 24 year old Chesapeake man remembers the spirit behind these pictures. Nikayla is asleep in some photos. The infant died September 27th, 2004.

Kelly says, "She would wake up in the morning she was always smiling and laughing."

But police say in her six short months of life, Nikayla Towns went to the emergency room about a half dozen times. They say she wasn't sick but sickened by her mother. Smithfield police arrested Sykeethia Towns Monday for-- they say - murdering Nikayla.

"It was about time :26 cause this has been going on for about 2 and a half years and I've been waiting," says Kelly.

Detectives say Towns was trying to get Nick's attention, acting out Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. He adds, "You start to see a pattern like me and her would have a fight but she would end up in the hospital so after everytime we had a fight you kind of start to think that something's off."

So when Nikayla died, Kelly says, he was devastated that his fears had come true,

"I kind of had a suspicion she was doing something to my daughter. You know I was trying preparations to get full custody."

But Kelly said he had to tread carefully around Towns afraid if she knew his plans she would cut him off from Nikayla.

He says, "My initial reaction was to blame myself cause there was-- I mean but there was really nothing I could do."

And as he forgives himself, this father has also forgiven the mother and alleged murderer of his child, "I would only want the best for her even after the fact that I knew that she killed my baby."

Previous coverage:

Suspicious sickness leads police to arrest Smithfield for death of her daughter

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

A Smithfield woman accused of killing her six-month-old daughter appeared in court today.

Sykeethia Towns' baby girl died in September of 2004.

Police said the death was suspicious at the time. This week they charged her with homicide.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

Towns' baby died on September 27th 2004. Her mother, police said, should not only feel grief, but guilt, over the loss of 6-month-old Nikayla because they say she killed the infant.

On Monday they arrested Sykeethia Towns on a charge of First Degree Murder, a suspicion Nikayla's father and police always had.

Towns is 7-months pregnant with her third child.

Lt. Kurt Beach of the Smithfield Police Department, said, "He knew from the beginning that he believed that Miss Towns was doing something to the child to make the child ill."

Smithfield Police believe Towns suffers from Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, a mental condition in which Towns allegedly sickened her own child to get attention from her boyfriend.

Police said from the time Nikayla was a month old, she had been to the hospital about a half dozen times for an emergency.

Beach said, "When she wanted attention and wanted him to come back into the picture, that's when one of these would occur."

Tylisha Pace, a friend of Towns, said, "She would never ever do anything like that. She has actually kept my child for me."

Pace defended the 21-year-old mother, saying Nikayla died from natural causes. She said she remembers visiting the child at the Town's Woods Edge apartment and Nikayla had problems breathing then.

"All of a sudden she started shaking for no reason, and she took a great deep breath and then she'd stop breathing for a few seconds," said Pace.

Smithfield Police said social workers took Towns' second child away in May last year because they said Towns was abusing him in much the same way she treated Nikayla.

"And looking at the medical record of the second child, I could see the time frames were so almost exact, and the same exact symptoms," said Beach.

Towns has a bond hearing next Wednesday. Police said it is not likely that Towns will be allowed to keep custody of her third child.

For more information about Munchausen Syndrome, click on "Links in the News" on our Website.