WISCASSET, Maine — An Edgecomb man facing charges for the death of a 3-year-old plead not guilty in Lincoln County Superior Court on Thursday.
Tyler Witham-Jordan is charged with depraved indifference murder for killing Makinzlee Handrahan, his then-girlfriend's daughter, in December 2022.
The affidavit said Handrahan died by non-accidental blunt force trauma, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. She had bruising to her face, right ear, head, back and stomach. The Chief Medical Examiner's Office found Witham-Jordan's DNA under the toddler's fingertips and on a broken hairbrush that had her hair in it, according to court documents.
The affidavit said two months before the child died, there had been a Maine Department of Health and Human Services investigation into the child's wellbeing. Handrahan's daycare contacted DHHS with concerns over a scratch and bruises she had on her body. Witham-Jordan was a suspect in that DHHS child abuse investigation.
Hours after Thursday's arraignment, lawmakers in Augusta were discussing cases like this as they're working to improve the Office of Child and Family Services.
"I have watched in the state of Maine...and today we're hearing...today alone, we've got another case coming up...where Makinzlee Handrahan is being heard from...another child that was killed at Christmas. Beaten to death...under the hands that had been with the Department of Health and Human Services," Senator Jeff Timberlake, R-Androscoggin, said.
In an email to NEWS CENTER Maine, DHHS spokesperson Lindsay Hammes said: "The safety and wellbeing of all children in the Department’s care is our highest priority. DHHS is diligently working to improve the child welfare system while focusing on prevention through the implementation of the Family First Preventative Services Act and the development of the Child Safety and Wellbeing Plan."
"This isn't going away folks. We need to do something to address it," Senator Timberlake said. "We've got children dying."
Witham-Jordan is being held at the Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset on $250,000 bail.