Remember me
Nearly 30 years after a brutal crime shocked Florida, a long-dormant case has resurfaced as the man responsible faces resentencing under updated capital punishment laws, per the Miami Herald.
In November 1998, Harrel Braddy, now 76, abandoned a five-year-old girl near a canal known as Alligator Alley. The body of the girl was later found by fishermen.
HighlightsShandelle Maycock's last words she ever heard from her daughter echoed as the brutal case resurfaced.The culprit admitted to leaving 5-year-old Quatisha alive in "Alligator Alley" simply because he feared she would identify him to the police.Horrifying testimony confirmed the child was still alive when abandoned at the canal.As the courts revisit the brutal incident, the child’s final words have once again echoed through the courtrooms and across the internet.
The five-year-old’s mother remembered her daughter’s last words before she was fed to the alligatorsPortrait of a young girl with pink hair ties and hoop earrings, related to five-year-old disappearance in Alligator Alley case.
Image credits: Miami Herald
Quatisha Maycock, known as Candy to her family, was abducted on November 7, 1998, alongside her mother, Shandelle, by Harrel Braddy, whom they had met through church.
According to Shandelle’s testimony to the Orlando Sentinel, Braddy came at them after she had rejected his multiple romantic advances.
She further reported that he became violent after she asked him to leave her apartment when he overstayed.
Close-up of a man in red prison clothing with a serious expression related to five-year-old’s chilling last words disappearance case in Alligator Alley.
Image credits: Miami-Dade Corrections
He choked her and forced both Shandelle and Candy into his car. When Shandelle tried to escape with her child, Braddy fought back, shoving her into the trunk.
The last words Shandelle ever heard from her daughter were, “No, mommy, no.”
Braddy later pulled over, dragged Shandelle from the car, and choked her until she lost consciousness, believing she was deceased.
Elderly man wearing glasses and a gray sweater, listening intently in a wood-paneled courtroom setting about Alligator Alley case.
Image credits: NBC 6
He then drove Candy to the Florida Everglades and left her near Alligator Alley.
Candy’s body was found two days later by fishermen. Jurors were shown photographs of Candy in her Polly Pocket pajamas.
According to the medical examiners, she was alive when alligators bit her head and torso, as well as severed her left arm.
Harrel Braddy escaped justice after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Florida’s capital punishment system unconstitutional in 2017Comment by Samuel Dennis expressing anger related to a five-year-old’s chilling last words before disappearance in Alligator Alley.
Screenshot of a social media comment referencing Alligator Alley in a discussion about a five-year-old’s chilling last words.
Two women discussing evidence files in front of a screen showing a room scene related to Alligator Alley disappearance case.
Image credits: NBC 6
After the gruesome act, Braddy was arrested and eventually convicted of first-degree m*rder in 2007. A jury voted 11-1 to finalize his execution.
However, that sentence was revoked in 2017 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Florida’s capital punishment system unconstitutional because it did not require unanimous jury verdicts.
In 2023, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law that allowed juries to recommend his execution with an 8-4 vote instead of requiring a unanimous decision. That change has reopened Braddy’s case.
Person in gray coat holding a colorful tissue box, relating to five-year-old’s chilling last words before disappearance.
Image credits: NBC 6
ADVERTISEMENTBraddy is now back in court facing resentencing, with jury selection recently underway in Miami-Dade County.
He reportedly admitted to the prosecutors that he left Candy to perish near the canal because he was worried that she would tell people what he had done to her mother.
Screenshot of a heartfelt social media comment about a five-year-old’s chilling last words before she disappeared in Alligator Alley.
Screenshot of Facebook comment by Maggie Falco discussing trials and life without parole in a serious online conversation.
Braddy further stated that he knew Quatisha “would probably” lose her life.
At the time of the crime, Braddy had been out of prison for just 18 months after serving part of a 30-year sentence for previous violent offenses, including robbery, kidnapping, and attempting to fatally strangle a corrections officer.
The brutality of the case has reignited intense reactions across social media platformsSmiling young woman holding a happy toddler girl, related to five-year-old’s chilling last words before disappearance in Alligator Alley.
Image credits: Miami Herald
Screenshot of online comment discussing chilling last words of five-year-old who disappeared in Alligator Alley and reflecting on the tragedy.
Former Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Leonard E. Glick once described the homicide as a betrayal of the most basic human decency.
“Adults are supposed to protect children from monsters,” he wrote. “They are not supposed to be the monsters themselves.”
The reopening of the case has sparked intense reactions online among viewers, with several commenters expressing grief and rage.
Two people in a courtroom setting reviewing documents related to a five-year-old’s chilling last words case.
Image credits: NBC 6
“Monsters should not walk amongst humans,” one wrote.
Another added, “This literally brought tears to my eyes. He deserves the same fate as that innocent child.”
Others focused on the legal process itself. “What he did was horrific,” one said, “but he’s already been tried and sentenced. Going back again doesn’t sit right with me.”
As the court weighs whether Braddy will once again receive capital punishment or spend the rest of his life in prison, the memory of the five-year-old remains at the center of the case.
“Put him where he put that baby,” wrote one netizen, sharing fury over Braddy’s brutal actUser comment expressing confusion about the lengthy time it takes for someone on death row to be executed.
Screenshot of a social media comment reacting to the five-year-old’s chilling last words before she disappeared in Alligator Alley.
Comment about alligators from social media post, mentioning unconscious person near water in Alligator Alley case.
Social media comment discussing a five-year-old’s chilling last words before she disappeared in Alligator Alley.
Screenshot of a Facebook comment expressing hope for justice related to a five-year-old’s chilling last words before disappearance.
Screenshot of a social media comment reacting to a five-year-old’s chilling last words before she disappeared in Alligator Alley.
Facebook comment expressing grief and prayers for the family of the five-year-old who disappeared in Alligator Alley.
Comment from Cynthia Hagans expressing outrage over a prison sentence and its delayed e*******n in a legal case.
Screenshot of a social media comment referencing El Salvador, related to five-year-old’s chilling last words before disappearance.
Commenter Darling Jeania expressing disbelief and frustration about a topic related to five-year-old’s chilling last words.
Screenshot of a social media comment discussing a high max lockdown punishment, relevant to five-year-old’s chilling last words disappearance.
Screenshot of a social media comment referencing a chilling last words about alligators related to Alligator Alley disappearance.
Screenshot of a comment about guarding the swamp related to a five-year-old’s last words before disappearing in Alligator Alley.
Comment expressing prayers and support for a five-year-old girl who disappeared in Alligator Alley.
Comment by Wanda Edwards expressing sadness and prayers for the family of the five-year-old in Alligator Alley case.
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