Police say the child’s father was with her when she stopped breathing.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — An Alabama father is charged with murder after his infant daughter died from traumatic internal injuries following an April 22 emergency call on Memorial Parkway, police and court reports said.

The case widened the next day when the child’s mother, 28-year-old Molly Ann McKelvey, died by suicide, relatives told local media. The two deaths left surviving family members planning a joint service while prosecutors began a domestic violence murder case against 34-year-old Mickele Kaipolai Ah-Nee, the baby’s father.

Police said officers were called around 1 p.m. April 22 to the 11000 block of Memorial Parkway after a report that an infant was not breathing. Emergency crews performed lifesaving measures at the scene, then took the child to a local hospital. She was pronounced dead a short time later. The child was identified by family members and funeral records as Lotus Kanani McKelvey, who was listed in an obituary as 3 months and 22 days old. Some police and media reports described her as 4 months old. Investigators said Ah-Nee was with Lotus when she stopped breathing, a finding that led the Huntsville Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit to open a death investigation rather than treat the call as a routine medical emergency.

Detectives requested an autopsy soon after the hospital pronounced Lotus dead. Madison County Coroner Dr. Tyler Berryhill later determined that the child died from complications of traumatic internal injuries, according to reports citing the coroner’s findings. Police have not publicly released a full injury list, and the available court records do not describe exactly how investigators believe the injuries were inflicted. After interviewing Ah-Nee, detectives said they had probable cause to seek an arrest warrant. He was arrested on a charge listed in court and jail records as homicide, murder, domestic violence. The charge accuses him of killing Lotus under Alabama’s domestic violence murder framework. He also faced a separate count of driving with an expired license.

The family’s loss deepened the morning after Lotus died. Relatives said McKelvey, the child’s mother, died by suicide on April 23. Her obituary described her as a Huntsville resident and mother, and family members said she left behind two young sons in addition to Lotus. Kristian McKelvey, Molly’s older brother, told a local station that Lotus was “the happiest little baby I’d ever seen.” He said he would never get to watch his niece grow up. He also described Molly as “a really awesome little sister.” The comments became the clearest public voice from the family as court records and police reports focused on the criminal case.

The emergency call came from one of Huntsville’s busiest commercial corridors, a long stretch of Memorial Parkway lined with motels, stores, restaurants and heavy traffic. Police reports placed the response in the 11000 block, a southern section of the parkway. Local reports said Lotus was at a motel when first responders arrived. Authorities have not publicly said whether anyone else was in the room, what happened in the minutes before the 911 call or whether police had responded to earlier calls involving the family. Those details remain part of the investigation. The clearest public sequence begins with the child not breathing, emergency treatment at the scene, transport to a hospital, an autopsy request and the later arrest of Ah-Nee.

Ah-Nee made an initial court appearance after his arrest. A judge set bond at $250,000 and ordered that he wear an ankle monitor if released, according to local court coverage. The judge also ordered him to have no contact with children, including surviving children, as a condition tied to any release. Later local court coverage said Ah-Nee waived a preliminary hearing while still listed in Madison County Jail records. A preliminary hearing can test whether prosecutors have enough evidence to move a felony case forward, but a waiver allows the case to proceed without that hearing. Court records cited by local outlets said the criminal case remained active.

Family members also began making arrangements for two burials. Berryhill Funeral Home listed visitation for Molly Ann McKelvey and Lotus Kanani McKelvey on April 29 from noon to 2 p.m., followed by a funeral service in the chapel. The funeral home said interment would follow at Valhalla Cemetery on Winchester Road in Huntsville. A family fundraiser said relatives were struggling with the emotional and financial weight of saying goodbye to both mother and child. The page said Molly left behind two young sons, siblings, her mother and many friends. The family statements did not give further details about the circumstances of Molly’s death beyond confirming that it followed Lotus’ death.

The case has moved on two tracks since April 22. Police are still responsible for the homicide investigation into Lotus’ death, while the coroner’s finding supplies the medical basis for the charge. Prosecutors will decide how to present the case as it moves through Madison County’s court system. The available public record does not show a trial date, and reports said it was not immediately clear when Ah-Nee’s next major court appearance would be. No public statement from Ah-Nee was available in the reports reviewed, and no defense explanation for Lotus’ injuries had been made public.

For the family, the official language of the case sits beside a much simpler loss. A baby was taken to a hospital from Memorial Parkway and did not survive. Her mother died the next morning. Relatives gathered less than a week later for a joint funeral. Kristian McKelvey’s words about Lotus centered not on court filings but on a future that disappeared. “I won’t be able to ever see her grow old,” he said.

For now, Ah-Nee’s murder case remains pending in Madison County, with bond reported at $250,000 and conditions attached to any release. Police have not announced further arrests, and investigators have not released a full account of what happened before Lotus stopped breathing.

Author note: Last updated May 20, 2026.