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The murder-suicide involving a popular social media astrology influencer and her family is drawing attention to Black women and mental health awareness.
Authorities, who are still working on the ongoing investigation, say on April 8, Danielle Johnson allegedly stabbed her boyfriend Jaelen Allen Chaney to death before pushing her children out of a moving car onto a highway, leaving a baby dead and a 9-year-old girl as the family’s only survivor.
The horrific incident took place at the couple’s Woodland Hills apartment.
According to reports, the couple began arguing in the middle of the night. Police believe Johnson stabbed Chaney, then left her residence with her two young daughters. Investigators believe Johnson then took the two children to the 405 Freeway in Westchester, opened the passenger door and told her daughter to “get out of the car,” Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Guy Nolan told ABC 7. “When the daughter didn’t do that she then forcibly pushed her out of the vehicle, in the middle of the freeway, while moving, while the 9-year-old was holding the 8-month-old baby,” he said.
The infant was fatally struck by a passing vehicle, but the 9-year-old miraculously survived.
Onlookers were eventually able to get the 9-year-old to safety until police could arrive and transport her to a hospital.
After Johnson put her children out on the highway, authorities believe she headed south to Redondo Beach at speeds over 100mph, where she crashed her SUV into a tree and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A neighbor, who discovered the bloody crime scene, says she saw blood everywhere in the apartment.
“Their door was wide open, there was blood on the floor leading into their apartment, and then a trail of it in the hallway leading up to the elevator, and I saw some blood on the walls,” the woman told ABC 7.
Authorities say the investigation is ongoing, but there is very little information to share at this time.
“The only witness we have for this crime now is the 9-year-old girl,” Nolan said. “There’s just very little information we have, other than: there was a verbal altercation that turned violent and it ended in tragedy.”
No motive has been revealed yet, but many of her social media followers point to her last tweets as signs she was struggling with mental health.
Before her death, Johnson, who is also known as Danielle Ayoka or MysticxLipstick, the social influencer tweeted about conspiracies surrounding the solar eclipse, claiming the apocalypse was on the way.
According to studies, Black people are 20% more likely to experience psychological distress when compared to their white counterparts. Studies also suggest that Black women are about half as likely to seek mental health care. In 2019, Black female high school students were 60% more likely to attempt suicide than their counterparts of the same age.
If the folks we love are showing signs their mental health could be failing, it’s up to us to help them become aware and guide them in the direction of the help they need.
SEE ALSO:
Explaining The Legislation: What Is The Protect Black Women And Girls Act?
Sleep Health: Why Black People Should Be Tracking Their Sleep
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