In a heart-wrenching turn of events on March 10, 2018, nine-year-old Miyanna Jelks, a Black/African American female, lost her life inside her Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home. The tragedy unfolded when her parents, Marcel Jelks and Talisha Lee, left Miyanna and her five younger siblings, all under the age of 10, unsupervised to go shopping. During their absence, one of Miyanna's brothers discovered a loaded handgun in the residence.
Believing the weapon was safe after removing the magazine,
the boy was unaware a bullet remained in the chamber. While playing with the firearm, he accidentally discharged it, striking Miyanna. When the parents returned home, they found their daughter with a gunshot wound and rushed her to a local hospital, but she was pronounced dead shortly before 1 p.m.
Initially, Talisha Lee provided conflicting stories to the police, first claiming her husband had gone to the grocery store alone and returned to find Miyanna injured. However, upon being confronted with inconsistencies, Marcel Jelks admitted that both parents had left the children home alone to go shopping for clothes. The investigation revealed that a gun lock was present in the house but had not been used to secure the 9mm handgun, which had been purchased by Lee just the day before the incident.
Both parents were arrested and faced multiple charges. Marcel Jelks, who was already a convicted felon and thus prohibited from possessing a firearm, was convicted on charges including child neglect resulting in death. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison followed by nine years of extended supervision. Talisha Lee pleaded guilty to one count of neglecting a child resulting in death and was sentenced to two years in prison and four years of extended supervision. Miyanna's brother was taken to the Milwaukee County Children's Court Center.
