LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The parents of a 3-year-old allegedly slain by her babysitter spoke to media after a court appearance Thursday morning.
41-year-old Marketta Phillips made her first appearance in court on charges of murdering 3-year-old Journei Ross.
“Seeing her face for the first time, horrible,” said Journei’s mother, Phalan Whitson. “You did that to my baby. How?”
Whitson described the loss as incomparable.
“That was an extension of my soul,” she said. “I just want an explanation. Why? And I want you to go away for a long time.”
Journei’s father, Jeremy Ross, is filled with regret.
“I wish I would have never met this woman,” he said. “I wish I had just left her alone.”
Ross said Phillips was at his apartment home quite a bit. He was in an on-again, off-again relationship with her.
“She was doing her thing, I was doing my thing,” he explained. “I was trying to help her because she wanted help with her music career.”
Ross said he did not notice any signs of mental distress from Phillips, or at least none that would lead to this happening.
“I thought it was like severe period cramps,” he said, referencing an episode that sent Phillips to the hospital a couple weeks ago.
Ross described what happened early Wednesday morning after he came home from work.
“I came in the house around 3:30. I saw her in the kitchen laying on her side,” he said about Phillips. “There was dried up blood, and I thought she was cooking and cut herself.”
After seeing Phillips in this state, Ross immediately rushed to check on his daughter.
“I went to the room and saw my baby girl right there,” he recounted. “I said, ‘What did you do to my child?’ And instantly called 911, doing chest compressions, everything for my child… Right when I called 911 is when she booked it out of the house.”
Shortly afterward, police caught Phillips nearby, but first responders were unable to save three-year-old Journei.
Whitson has a message for other parents.
“Men, please be aware who you keep around your children,” she cried. “I’m going to spread awareness of this, because this is not right.”
Phillips will be in court again next Tuesday. Until then, she’s being held without bail.
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