A Florida woman is in jail after police say she abused her young daughter and sent chilling messages threatening to set the child’s father on fire on Christmas Day.
Krysten Ann Happel, 36, was arrested in Fort Myers and charged with one count of cruelty toward a child without great bodily harm, according to records from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. She is also being held as a fugitive from justice on an outstanding warrant from Georgia.
The disturbing incident unfolded on Christmas Day and came to light after Happel allegedly sent a series of alarming text messages and videos to a friend, police said. According to a probable cause statement obtained by Law&Crime, the friend contacted authorities after receiving messages involving Happel’s daughter.
The Fort Myers Police Department said one of the videos showed Happel verbally and physically assaulting the child. Investigators said many of the messages centered on the girl’s father, whom Happel repeatedly referred to using profanity.
In one message quoted in the charging document, Happel allegedly threatened to set the child’s father on fire and kill him, writing that she would not be satisfied until he was dead, even if it meant spending the rest of her life in prison.
One of the videos allegedly shows Happel repeatedly battering the child’s head by forcefully tapping and nudging it. Police said the child appeared to be extremely young, noting in the report that her cranial bones and brain were especially vulnerable to injury.
Another video allegedly shows Happel throwing a blanket over the child’s entire face, an act police say could have interfered with her breathing. Investigators said Happel could also be heard berating the child, allegedly telling her to “get your ugly a— out of here.”
The abuse allegedly continued as Happel made additional degrading comments, calling the child “demonized” and blaming her on the girl’s father, while continuing to strike the child’s head, according to the report.
The friend who received the messages told police she knew Happel through her husband and had previously tried to help her keep custody of the child by offering housing. Police said Happel later began receiving assistance through the Salvation Army, and the friend was no longer involved in her care.
Officers eventually located Happel and the child at a Salvation Army location. There, Happel was taken into custody. Police said the child was found soaked in her own urine and appeared not to have had her diaper changed for hours.
During a custodial interview after being read her Miranda rights, police say Happel admitted to making the videos and sending the messages.
“Happel admitted to doing what was displayed in the video,” the charging document states, adding that she also took responsibility for the statements she made in the messages.
Happel is currently being held at the Lee County Jail on a $7,500 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 26, 2026.
Remove the child from that mother before she kills her ! I’m sure there is a family that would provide a proper loving home .
The abuse of children seems to be giving pleasure to these demonic parents.
I absolutely love these Florida stories!!
They are always the best!!
Fort Myers???
Was she originally from Ohio??? lol lol 😂
Poor little girl.