A shocking case of abuse inflicted on a 5-year-old in Tallahassee is leaving people questioning the Child Protection System. Melissa “Missy” Mogle was subjected to the alleged abuse by her mother and stepfather.
The 5-year-old had reportedly opened up to people close to the family while telling them that she was experiencing abuse. The people went on to report the alleged abuse to authorities, which prompted them to investigate the family.
The investigation came to a dead end, and no action was taken against Melissa’s mother or her stepfather. The stepfather made his way back into the house after he was released following his initial arrest.
⚠️ WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of violence.
Chloe Spencer, 23, & Daniel Spencer, 35, the mother & stepfather of 5-year-old Missy Mogle, have been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated battery on a child, child neglect with great bodily harm, &… pic.twitter.com/lWX0iMAGGV
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) May 28, 2025
Missy Mogle was found unresponsive at her home by authorities on May 19, 2025. She was rushed to the hospital from her Tallahassee, Florida home. The 5-year-old passed away at the hospital due to the injuries she had sustained. Missy’s mother and stepfather are now being investigated as suspects in her murder.
The couple has been accused of taking the 5-year-old’s life by asphyxiation. Chloe Spencer and Daniel Spencer are being investigated for second-degree murder charges. Both of them had previously been charged with aggravated battery on a child, child neglect with great bodily harm, and failure to report child abuse.
Following Missy’s death, investigators accessed the video footage from the camera located in her bedroom. Horrfying details about the alleged abuse were found in the clips. One video shows the stepfather “physically abusing [the girl] by hitting her, violently pulling her arms, shoving her face into a bed, binding her feet and hands together, and covering her with pillows and comforters.”
Arrest affidavits mention the 5-year-old’s blood being found on the pillow covers in her bedroom. The mother of the 5-year-old not only stood witness to her daughter’s abuse but inflicted it on her, too.
One video shows Chloe “standing over [her daughter], who was on her bed in the fetal position, while Chloe held an object over her head as if she was preparing to hit [her] with the object.” The Talhasse mother even admitted to hitting her daughter with a shoe, according to court records.
Close family and friends of the family have deemed Missy’s death to be a failure of the Child Protection System. They note how if the authorities had taken action quicker, the 5-year-old wouldn’t have lost her life. A judge has now ordered Chloe and Daniel Spencer to have no contact with each other.
People close to the family spoke to the Tallahassee Democrat, noting that Missy’s death should be blamed on the system. In July 2024, the Florida Department of Children and Families hotline got a concerning call regarding the 5-year-old. Somebody reported the stepfather for sexually abusing Missy.
The police department investigated Daniel and decided not to arrest him due to “insufficient probable cause.” What was baffling is that Daniel had been arrested for posing as a 15-year-old girl online. The 35-year-old was charged with several sex crimes.
Jasmine Hartsfield, Missy’s godmother, noted how the agencies have failed to protect the 5-year-old through neglect. “These agencies failed a 5-year-old child and let her get murdered by the people that were supposed to protect her.”
She went on to add that the system was supposed to protect Missy from “the monsters, and they did nothing but let it happen” in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat.
