What did Christopher Strickland do? Incident explored as Louisiana dad arrested in child's death

Christopher Strickland, a 42-year-old man hailing from New Orleans, was arrested on Thursday, June 22, 2023, for the death of his daughter, Louisa Strickland. He contacted the authorities upon finding his daughter unresponsive. It is reported that he administered CPR to her and violently shook her in order to resuscitate her, but to no avail. Louisa was then taken to a local children's hospital, where she was put on life support but ultimately breathed her last.

Christopher and his wife, Tess Strickland, made headlines for vocally criticizing the child protection regime of their state. Prior to the death of their daughter, they had been accused of child abuse with regard to their firstborn, Rivers, in 2021. While a court acquitted them on the basis that there was no evidence to prove the alleged abuse, they were put on a list of child abusers maintained by the state.

Christopher Strickland has now been charged with second-degree murder and cruelty to a juvenile. He is currently being detained on a bond to the tune of $175,000.

Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of child abuse. Readers' discretion is advised.

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Christopher Strickland found his 5-month-old daughter unresponsive and shook her violently to elicit a response

Louisa Strickland (Image via GoFundme/Tess Strickland)

Christopher Strickland alleged that he left his daughter unattended for a few minutes and went back to the room to find her unresponsive. He then shook her violently to elicit a response. As per a report by Nola, the arrest warrant issued for Christopher mentioned that the violent shaking led to the hemorrhaging of Louisa's retinas and fractured her ribs.

When Louisa was taken to the hospital, she had already gone into cardiac arrest. Authorities at the hospital told the New Orleans Police Department that it was possible that the victim succumbed to injuries that were a result of abuse. The alleged abuse has been denied by Christopher's lawyer, Sarah Chervinsky.

"He is a loving father who did not harm his child. We are hopeful the District Attorney will take the time to thoroughly review and investigate all the evidence and come to the correct decision that these charges should be dismissed," the lawyer said.

The bond hearing after Christopher Strickland's arrest took place on Thursday, June 22, 2023, regarding the murder charges. The prosecution argued for a $2 million bond and for the removal of the couple's firstborn from their custody. The bond was finally set by the court at $175,000, which accounted for Christopher Strickland's compliance with the investigation.

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Christopher Strickland and his wife were investigated for child abuse prior to the passing of their daughter

The Stricklands were investigated by the Department of Child and Family Services for abusing their son, Rivers (Image via Facebook)

Even before the death of their daughter, the Stricklands had been investigated by the Department of Child and Family Services for abusing their son, Rivers, in 2021. This came after Christopher Strickland's wife noticed bruises on her son, which she reported to doctors. During a routine check-up where the bruises were examined, the Stricklands were reported for child abuse.

Tess Strickland consulted a separate physician, who diagnosed her son with capillary fragility and ruled out evidence of abuse. This evidence was unconvincing to the physician at Audrey Hepburn Care Center, who conducted the formal examination for signs of abuse.

Based on this assessment, the Department of Child and Family Welfare removed Rivers from the custody of his parents for a week. In court, the couple was given custody of their son again, as per Fox News. The judge who presided over the hearing, Judge Mark Doherty, wrote in his order:

“The parents here did exactly what medical professionals ask a new parent to do: if you find something strange with your infant, report it. There is no physical or testimonial evidence in this case against the parents.”

Despite the acquittal, the investigation into the matter conducted by the Department of Child and Family Welfare found that abuse had indeed taken place, and placed the Stricklands on a database of child abusers.

Citing the outcome of this case, the prosecution in the bond hearing for Louisa's death stated:

"It was false allegations with the other child, too…Now we have a dead baby."

Christopher's next hearing has been scheduled for June 29, 2023.