Six years into her 17-year-long sentence for stabbing her baby with a pair of scissors, Rachel Tunstill dies in prison.
Back in 2017, she stabbed her baby girl, Mia Kelly, more than 15 times in the bathroom of their Burnley home and threw her lifeless body in a bin.
Tunstill was initially convicted of murder and handed a life sentence with minimum term of 20 years, but a re-trial proved the jury in the case should have been offered a verdict of infanticide to consider. During the re-trial she was once again convicted of murder and put behind bars for a minimum of 17 years.
“HMP Styal prisoner Rachel Tunstill died in custody on 1 August 2023. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate,” a spokesperson from the Prison Service confirmed the news of her passing.
At the time she gave birth, her boyfriend was playing video games in the next room. She then told him she had a miscarriage and asked for the scissors after which she remorselessly stabbed the baby to death.
At the time of sentencing, the judge, Mr Justice King, said: “This must have been a sustained and frenzied attack on a victim who because of her age was particularly vulnerable. Her duty to her newborn baby was to cradle and comfort her – not to stab her to death.
“There was here in my judgement concealment of the body, albeit short-lived and in addition there was undoubtedly the indignity which was wrought upon the body by disposing of it in the way she did.”
Credit: Liverpool Echo
Tunstill was a university master’s graduate in forensic psychology.
“She showed no emotion or remorse for stabbing her baby to death,” said Mr Justice King.
Woman Helps Single Dad at Store, Sees Bracelet She Buried with Her Child on His Daughter – STORY OF THE DAY
Woman Helps Single Dad at Store, Sees Bracelet She Buried with Her Child on His Daughter
Linette’s routine trip to the grocery store took a shocking turn when she saw a young girl wearing a silver bracelet she had buried with her daughter five years ago. The discovery unearthed painful memories and led Linette to confront a dark chapter of her past.
While helping a struggling father in the cereal aisle, Linette noticed the bracelet on his daughter’s wrist. Her heart stopped as she recognized it immediately. “It was the same bracelet I had buried with Emily,” Linette realized in disbelief.
Haunted by the sight, Linette uncovered a scandal involving the funeral home director, Harold Simmons, who had been fired for mishandling services and allegedly selling funeral mementos, including her daughter’s bracelet.
Determined to seek justice, Linette reached out to Bob Daniels, the father she met in the grocery store. He was sympathetic, apologizing for what she had gone through and offering to help. “It wasn’t just about the bracelet but about seeking justice for the betrayal of trust,” Bob explained.
Together, they built a case against the funeral home. The court ruled in their favor, bringing Linette a sense of peace. In the end, what started as a painful discovery became a path to healing and a new beginning, with Linette finding hope in the bond she formed with Bob and his daughter, Emma.
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