The Hannah Wesche Case: Killer Babysitter Mad Over Ketchup?

“I got mad and just slapped her upside the head. I shook her.”

[Hamilton, Ohio]

When little Hannah Wesche (3) was born, doctors weren’t sure if she would survive because of her mother’s consistent drug use. Miraculously, she did and she trucked through life as a fierce three year old that was wrapped around not just one of her father’s fingers, but all of them.

Her father, Jason, sacrificed his comfort for his daughter every chance he got. When Hannah was just four months old, Jason lost his job and had to develop a safe plan to keep Hannah clothed, housed, and fed. He decided to bring the child to his brother's home where she enjoyed a bed and heat at the end of night while Jason slept in his vehicle.

This lifestyle continued for two years as her father saved up money. When he eventually found a stable construction job in Hanover Township and a new home, he committed himself to 12 hour work days to provide for his family. To do this, he would drop Hannah off at Lindsay Partin’s next-door home just located 300 feet away. Sometimes the mornings would begin as early as 6am, especially because Lindsay had her two kids of her own and babysat another child too.

On March 8, 2018, Jason dressed Hannah in a heavy coat to keep her warm from the frigid air. He dropped her off with Lindsey, but within just minutes of dropping her off, he received a text message to immediately return because Hannah collapsed in front of her. A 911 call documented Lindsay saying, “She fell really bad yesterday…I thought she was fine.” When medical help and officers arrived to offer aid, they noticed that Hannah’s injuries didn’t align with a simple collapse and fall. The toddler had severe, dark bruising on her jaw, face, neck, arms, and body. She also had a significant brain injury that placed her in a coma.

Investigators were left piecing together the complex puzzle of who was responsible for Hannah’s injuries: her father or babysitter.

An interview with Lindsay initially started with a story that Hannah randomly collapsed within minutes of taking her coat off. However, Lindsay’s story shifted to a different tale of events fairly soon. She changed her story stating that she fell down a set of stairs while holding Hannah in her arms, causing the toddler to smack her head against a concrete step. When asked why she initially didn’t disclose this information, Lindsay burst out into tears and cried, “I didn’t want to get in trouble.”

After offering a second possible story, Lindsay quickly decided that her lies were too complicated to continuously follow. Instead of continuing false statements, she admitted to squeezing and shaking Hannah as Jason left because she was throwing a tantrum. Furthermore, she confessed to close-hand punching Hannah upside the head multiple times for squirting ketchup into a toilet bowl.

10 days after Lindsay’s 911 call and Hannah fell into unconsciousness, she passed away from her injuries.

Lindsay Partin was arrested and charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter and four counts of child endangering.

During the court hearing in 2019, her attorneys tried to pursue a defense that Hannah’s death was not caused by Lindsay. Instead, they pointed the finger directly at Hannah’s father, claiming Hannah possibly hit her head while getting out of the car that day. As Lindsay took the stand, it seemed as if she recanted her entire confession to the police. She now stated that she lied and confessed to protect Hannah’s father from legal trouble because he was her friend.

Despite attempting to take back her lengthy story of violent details, Lindsay was found guilty of all of her charges on April 12th, 2019. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years for brutally attacking a little girl that trusted her daily — that called her “Buddy.”

“It’s in my mind every single day. Time doesn’t make it easier. It makes it rougher. I try to go day by day”, Hannah’s father told news sources.