Giselle Tchibenou clearly recalls the arrival of the emergency vehicles to 43 Canton Circle in Concord on March 15. It was about mid-day, and she was returning home from work.
A man emerged from the house crying as he carried a lifeless toddler in his arms, she said outside her home Friday. Tchibenou did not know the man’s identity, and she had only seen the family who lived there from afar on a few occasions.
“I (felt) bad all day long,” Tchibenou said of what she witnessed. “I don’t know what happened.”
Tchibenou learned on Friday that toddler – 3-year-old Jayleah Bureau – died. Jayleah lived at the home with her mother and father. Her death has since been ruled a homicide caused by blunt force trauma.
The state attorney general’s office and the Concord Police Department said Friday that emergency medical personnel responded to a 911 call from 43 Canton Circle on March 15. That address is part of the Eagles Bluff condominium development.
There, they found Jayleah unresponsive. She was transported to Concord Hospital for treatment, but was ultimately pronounced dead.
An autopsy was conducted the following day, but additional testing was needed to determine the cause and manner of Bureau’s death. On July 11, the final autopsy was completed, authorities said.
New Hampshire Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jennie Duval determined the girl was the victim of homicide, and the cause of her death was blunt force trauma.
Assistant Attorney General Jay McCormack declined to discuss the nature of Bureau’s injuries, including where on her body she suffered trauma. He also said he could not comment on the medical emergency that was reported at the girl’s home March 15, citing the ongoing investigation.
He said the circumstances of her death became more suspicious in recent days when his office received the final autopsy report.
McCormack declined to say whether the state had any suspects, but confirmed that no one had been charged in connection with the girl’s death.
Residents of Canton Circle said they were shocked and saddened to learn Friday the 3-year-old’s death had been ruled a homicide. They said rumors had circulated for months about what might have happened.
Donna LeClair, who lives at 34 Canton Circle, said she has known the family for years and recalled when the child’s grandmother Laura Williams lived just a few houses away. She said Williams loved her granddaughter, and the two shared a passion for singing.
“I just can’t believe that someone killed her; it’s shocking,” LeClair said of the child. “It makes me cringe that someone could hurt a little girl like that. I thought it was an accident until today.”
She recalled police coming door-to-door looking for information to aid their investigation in the days after the medical incident. LeClair said she doesn’t know the child’s father, Jocarl Bureau, but said police showed her a picture of him and asked her if she’d seen him.
Police also showed LeClair a photo of the girl, who she called “the sweetest.”
Bureau was born Oct. 10, 2012, in Manchester to Loreal Williams and Jocarl Bureau, according to her obituary. She loved Paw Patrol and the Disney character Elsa from the movie Frozen.
“Jayleah’s big eyes and bright smile made her everybody’s ‘Little Princess,’ ” the obituary read.
Concord police Detective Sgt. Sean Ford said Jayleah Bureau was the only child living at the home at the time of the March incident. The family has since moved out of the Canton Circle home and do not live in Concord, he said.
Ford and Lt. Tim O’Malley declined to discuss the specifics of the ongoing homicide investigation Friday, referring all questions to the attorney general’s office.
The homicide is the first in the city this year.
Concord police Chief Brad Osgood reported no cases of murder or manslaughter in the city in either 2014 or 2015, according to an annual report presented to the Concord City Council.
O’Malley said by phone that there have been three homicides in Concord dating back to 2005, including a murder-suicide on Elm Street in June 2011.
Officials urged anyone with information regarding Bureau or her death to contact Detective Sgt. Sean Ford at 230-3728 or Lt. Tim O’Malley at 230-3734 of the Concord Police Department. They may also leave anonymous tips at the Concord Regional Crimeline at 226-3100.
(Alyssa Dandrea can be reached at 369-3319, adandrea@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @_ADandrea. )