An Arkansas father who fatally shot his 6-year-old daughter while putting her to bed told police ‘I don’t know what happened’ when asked about the unimaginable crime.
Jordan Chadick, 45, shot his daughter, Caroline, in the head with a single bullet on May 29, 2023 while putting her to sleep in his Hot Springs apartment.
He later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced earlier this month to 30 years in prison.
The tragedy followed an earlier argument between Jordan and his estranged wife and mother of their two children, Melissa, who had asked him to leave her home.
Though Jordan initially resisted, he eventually left with Caroline.
Later that evening, the Garland County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting at his apartment.
Police arrived to find Jordan soaked in blood and Melissa holding Caroline’s ‘lifeless’ body, which was ‘covered in blood,’ Law & Crime reported.
Immediately following the shooting, Jordan made three calls, though none of them were to 911 or emergency personnel.
One of the calls was reportedly to Melissa to confess to the unthinkable crime, according to officials.
Jordan Chadick, shot his 6-year-old daughter, Caroline, in the head with a single bullet on May 29, 2023 while putting her to sleep in his Hot Springs apartment
Police arrived to find Jordan soaked in blood and his estranged wife, Melissa, holding Caroline’s ‘lifeless’ body that was ‘covered in blood’
Melissa later confirmed to officials she and Jordan had been arguing that day and he left her home with Caroline, adding that when she arrived at his home later that night, he met her outside and told her to ‘get ready, get ready.’
That’s when she ran inside and discovered her daughter’s body, officials said.
A day later, investigators interviewed Melissa’s sister, Michelle Merriott, who was reportedly on the phone with Melissa when she arrived at Jordan’s apartment. Her sister also rushed to the scene with her husband Todd Merriott.
She told police that while she was at the scene, she overheard Jordan telling Melissa, ‘we got to get our stories straight,’ court records revealed.
Her husband told investigators that Jordan told him the ‘gun hit my hip,’ court records showed.
A neighbor told officials that the couple – who were separated at the time – fought a lot and that one the night of the incident, she heard a loud bang and Jordan scream, court records said.
The neighbor explained that when she went to his apartment to see what was going on, Jordan told her ‘everything is not okay’ and ‘oh my God, my daughter’s dead, what have I done,’ according to the court documents.
She left to call 911, and when she returned, Jordan opened the door. She then overheard Jordan confessing to his wife, ‘I just killed our daughter.’
Authorities believe Jordan was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time, though he insisted in initial police interviews the shooting was ‘accidental’
Jordan Chadick’s Hot Springs apartment complex
Melissa Chadick (left) and Jordan Chadick (middle) shared two daughters, including Caroline (right)
Jordan told officers he had been putting Caroline to bed and retrieved a gun he kept ‘for protection.’ He said, ‘I don’t know what happened’ when asked how the shooting occurred, according to court documents.
Authorities believe Jordan was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time, though he insisted in initial police interviews the shooting was ‘accidental.’
He was reportedly ‘smelling of alcohol’ and had a long history of substance abuse, including methamphetamine, officials said.
Other witnesses close to the couple confirmed Jordan’s history of meth and alcohol abuse, stating that when he was intoxicated, he always carried a gun.
One witness recalled an instance when Jordan had pointed a gun at Melissa’s head, something that happened ‘several times’ throughout their marriage, according to court records.
When police later interviewed Jordan, he provided inconsistent accounts of the events leading up to his daughter’s death.
Jordan was arrested on August 1, 2023, and was initially charged with first-degree murder.
