Investigators: Girl fell from window to her death
According to law enforcement, a 7-year-old girl died on I-5 after falling out of a moving-car window; parent in custody
Investigators are saying they believe the child killed on Interstate 5 in the Newhall Pass over the weekend fell out of a moving-car window, leading to her death.
In a news release distributed on Wednesday morning, officials reiterated many of the details they had reported earlier in the week regarding the investigation, but added the age of the child — a 7-year-old girl — and some details on how they believe she exited the vehicle.
“After initial investigations it was determined the 7-year-old female child fell out of the moving 1999 Lincoln Navigator through an open window, and as a result sustained fatal injuries,” said the release from the California Highway Patrol.
While the matter remains under investigation, CHP officials reported Wednesday that one of their leading theories was that the young girl, who is believed to have not been secured in the car either by a child’s car seat or seatbelt, crawled into the back of the SUV.
Then, according to this theory and for still unknown reasons, it is believed that while in the back area of the car, and with the two adults in the vehicle sitting up front, the 7-year-old girl somehow fell through the Navigator’s rear glass window that was broken and/or unlocked.
“The little girl fell out of the vehicle and I don’t think the parents maybe even realized it at first,” said Officer Josh Greengard, a spokesman for the CHP Newhall Office. “But CHP did make contact with the mom and her boyfriend after they had returned to the scene.”
The girl’s mother, Veronda Gladney, 28, of Lancaster, and Gladney’s boyfriend, Michael Branch, 39, of Hawthorne, have both been arrested on suspicion of child endangerment, according to the
CHP. Highway Patrol officials listed Gladney as the driver of the vehicle and Branch as a passenger.
Although the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office had not responded to The Signal’s request for comment on Wednesday, it is believed by investigators that the mother will be charged more severely than her boyfriend due to her being the biological parent and driver of the vehicle.
Branch was due to appear in San Fernando Superior Court on Wednesday for his arraignment. As of the publication of this story, it was unclear when the mother’s arraignment had been scheduled.
The young girl, who investigators previously said was 4-6 years old but has not yet been identified by the officials at the L.A. County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office, was killed on the northbound I-5, just north of Weldon Canyon Road at approximately 3:40 a.m.
“On July 2, 2022, at approximately 0339 hours, CHP, Los Angeles Communications Center (LACC), received a 9-1-1 call,” read a report from CHP. “9-1-1 caller reported they had struck an unknown stationary object, which was blocking the roadway on I-5 N/B (Golden State Freeway) at Weldon Canyon Road.”
“CHP Newhall Area Officers arrived on scene to investigate the incident,” the report continued. “It was determined that the unknown object was a child who had been struck by several vehicles, which caused fatal injuries.”
Branch is being held in lieu of $100,00 bail.
This incident is still actively being investigated and anyone with information regarding this incident can contact the CHP Newhall Area Office at 661-600-1600.