A New Year’s Day shooting inside a Sulphur, Louisiana home has left a 1-year-old girl dead and her mother facing a first-degree murder charge, according to police. Investigators say 28-year-old Kristin Bass shot her daughter, then told the child’s father, “I just sent our baby to God,” before he discovered the toddler fatally wounded. The killing, which unfolded in front of the couple’s 2-year-old, has stunned the community and raised urgent questions about warning signs that may have been missed.
Authorities have identified the baby as 1-year-old Acelynn Moss, whose short life ended in the same home where her older sister cried for help as the scene unfolded. As the criminal case against Bass moves forward, the available records and family accounts sketch a harrowing sequence of events inside a small Sulphur residence that has now become a crime scene and a symbol of profound loss.
The fatal shooting inside a Sulphur home
Police in SULPHUR, Louisiana say they were called to the family’s home after a report that a child had been shot. Responding officers found 1-year-old Acelynn with a gunshot wound, and she was later pronounced dead. Local reporting identifies the child’s mother as Kristi “Kristin” Bass, who was taken into custody at the scene and accused of shooting and killing her daughter inside the residence as the New Year began.
Investigators say the baby’s father, Bradley Moss, had briefly stepped outside before hearing a gunshot from inside the home. When he rushed back in, he found his younger child gravely injured and his 2-year-old crying, according to accounts that describe the older sibling as a direct witness to the violence. Multiple reports state that the mother-of-two, 28-year-old Kristin Bass, was still in the room with a firearm when Moss returned, turning a family home into a scene of chaos and irreversible loss.
“I just sent our baby to God”: chilling words and criminal charges
According to the father’s account, Bass’s words in the moments after the gunshot were as shocking as the act itself. He has told investigators that when he asked what had happened, Bass replied, “I just sent our baby to God,” a statement that has since become central to public understanding of the case. One report quotes Moss saying that Bass believed she was sending their child to a better place, a claim echoed in coverage that describes a chilling seven-word remark delivered moments after the shooting.
Authorities have charged Bass with first-degree murder, a count that reflects their view that the killing of the 1-year-old was intentional. Coverage of the case notes that she is being held on a $10 million bond after police described how Moss ran into the room and found Acelynn shot and allegedly holding a gun. National reporting on the incident has framed the charges as a response to both the fatal outcome and the alleged admission that she believed she was sending the child “to God,” language repeated in several accounts of the case.
Father’s account, surviving sibling, and community fallout
In interviews, Moss has described the moment he realized his younger daughter had been shot and the terror of seeing his older child in the same room. One report recounts that when he entered, Bass was standing over the baby with a gun while their 2-year-old cried nearby, a detail that underscores how the surviving child directly witnessed the killing. A detailed account notes that There, he said with the weapon as the older sibling sobbed, a scene that Moss has said nearly cost him “two babies” because of the trauma inflicted on his surviving child.
Moss has also spoken publicly about the depth of his loss, identifying his 1-year-old as Acelynn and describing how he is now focused on protecting their 2-year-old from further harm. Reports indicate that the older child was heard crying for help during the incident, and that Moss has emphasized the psychological toll on a toddler who watched her sister die. The case has resonated far beyond Sulphur, with national outlets highlighting the surviving sibling’s trauma as a stark reminder of how domestic gun violence can scar children who live through it.
Timeline, legal process, and unanswered questions
Authorities say the shooting happened on New Year’s Day, with multiple outlets describing Bass as a Mother accused of killing her 1-year-old daughter on New Year Day in Sulphur. Local coverage that originated with KPLC and Gray News has been echoed across regional stations, all centering on the same basic timeline: a family at home as the year turned, a single gunshot, and a father’s frantic return to a bedroom where his baby lay dying. Police have not publicly detailed how long it took emergency responders to arrive or whether any prior calls for service had been made to the address, leaving some aspects of the timeline unverified based on available sources.
National crime coverage has added further context, describing Bass as a Louisiana Mother Accused her 1-Year Old Girl to Send Her to God, and noting that she allegedly made the remark about sending the baby to God before Moss discovered the body. Another account characterizes her as a Louisiana Mother Accused her 1-Year Old Girl while she was allegedly drunk and using Snapchat, though specific toxicology findings have not been detailed in the summaries provided. A separate national brief describes how a Mother Fatally Shoots in front of her 2-year-old daughter in Sulphur, Louisiana, reinforcing the core allegation that the killing unfolded in full view of the couple’s older child.
As the case moves through the courts, Bass remains jailed on the first-degree murder charge, and prosecutors will eventually have to decide whether to pursue the maximum penalties available under Louisiana law. Coverage has consistently described her as a Mother Charged in the Shooting Death of her 1-Year Old Daughter, with the Baby’s father insisting that she believed she was sending the child to God. Another national report summarizes the allegations under the phrase Send Her to God, while a separate brief refers to a Louisiana mother who allegedly told Moss she had just sent their baby to God. For now, the only certainty is that 1-year-old Acelynn is dead, her sister is left to grow up with the memory of what she saw, and a small Louisiana city is grappling with how such a tragedy could unfold inside an ordinary family home.
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