Fundraiser Set at Players on Wednesday for Slain Tot’s Family

There will be a fundraiser on Wednesday night at the Players Club on Niagara St. for the benefit of the family of slain 5-year-old Isabella Sarah Tennant whose body was found in a trash can on Monday morning in an alley between Third and Fourth Streets in Niagara Falls.

All proceeds from the event, which will be held from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., will go to the family of the little girl who was laid to rest on Saturday after services at St. Louis Church in Buffalo attended by close to 1,000 people. Her father, Michael Tennant, released a statement telling of the family’s overwhelming grief at the loss of their beloved little angel.

John Freeman, 16, has been charged with second-degree murder in Isabella’s death and 18-year-old Tyler Best is charged with witness tampering. Both were arraigned last week and their cases are expected to be presented directly to a Niagara County Grand Jury. Both suspects pleaded not guilty at their court appearance and their statements were ordered sealed because they are both eligible for youthful offender status.

The victim, who lived with her mother, Crystal Walker, in Cheektowaga, had been staying at the home of her great grandmother on Sixth Street on Sunday night and was reported missing early Monday. She had been with Freeman, described as a trusted family friend, before she was reported missing.

Cause of death, according to the coroner’s report, was “asphyxiation due to mechanical obstruction of the airway and compression of the neck.” The slain child’s mother, Crystal Walker, is a part-time worker at the Players Club.