Court Battle Over Bella Walker’s Body

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The relatives of four-year-old Bella Walker, who was killed earlier this month, are headed to court to determine who gets to make funeral arrangements. It’s just the latest turn in an unfortunate story surrounding the murder of the little girl.

Kyle Walkine speaks with the maternal grandmother who says it a, “nightmare from hell.”

The past few weeks for the family of four-year-old Bella Walker have been worse than anyone could imagine, according to her grandmother Monalisa Walker.

With her daughter in police custody and her granddaughter awaiting burial, Walker says her heart hurts for them both.

But now Bella’s grandmother is fighting to have the child’s body removed from a funeral home chosen by Bella’s father with funeral plans said to be underway. She said while many may have criticized this move, she has a reason- she would like Bella’s mother to be able to attend her funeral.

The young girl had moved back to New Providence just a few months before her death after living with her father’s family on Grand Bahama.

Police say Bella died on November 5th after suffering blunt force trauma, which resulted in punctured internal organs and broken ribs.

The child’s mother has since been charged with exposing her to grievous harm and cruelty, while the boyfriend was charged with murder.

In the letter to Serenity Funeral Home, where the child’s body now is, the maternal grandmother said she identified the child’s body on November 8th but never gave instructions on the release of the body or burial.

She argued the child’s putative father is not entitled to have control of the body nor make burial arrangements.

According to the country’s laws, because Bella’s parents were not married at the time of her birth, her mother has legal rights.

Both sides head to the Supreme Court on Monday.

In the meantime, Walker says her family is living a nightmare.

As Bella’s mother is a twin, she says the twin sister has been receiving death threats with people thinking the mother has been released from police custody.

But she said the attacks her family has received online since have been heartbreaking as her family has been there for little Bella and her brother whom Walker says she takes care of.