5-Year-Old Who Prosecutors Allege Was Killed by Mom Was 'Too Special,' Aunt Says

A GoFundMe for the young girl says she was “too good for this earth"

Nichole. Photo: GoFundMe

The 5-year-old Texas girl whose mother is charged with capital murder after she brought her child into her in the woods Sunday was a happy-go-lucky child whose family is devastated by her grisly slaying.

Nichole "was so full of love and giggles and her bright blue eyes shined so full of curiosity," her father's family said in a statement sent to local TV outlet ABC 13.

In a GoFundMe Amber Bradshaw, the girl's aunt, set up to help defray the child's funeral costs, she wrote that Nichole was "too good for this earth. "She was too special."

On Sunday, Nichole's mother, Melissa Towne allegedly took her daughter into the woods at Spring Creek Park and cut her neck with a knife, say police.

Prosecutors believe that the 37-year-old then allegedly spent about 30 minutes strangling the child, who pleaded with her mother, saying, "I've been good,'" ABC 13 reports.

"Stop fighting it," is what Towne allegedly told the girl before she killed her, according to prosecutors.

In an update on Monday, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote that Towne was charged with capital murder and was booked into the Harris County Jail.

Her bond has been set at $15 million, ABC 13 reports.

Sheriff Gonzalez alleged that Towne drove to a hospital emergency room and told workers that she had killed the child, Fox News reports.

"She said she wanted to dispose of the complainant, so she decided to take her to a hospital," prosecutors said in court, ABC 13 reports.

"The defendant stated she wanted to end the complainant's life because she was an evil child and did not want to deal with her anymore."

Laceration and possible ligature marks were found on the girl's neck, Gonzalez said in the update, adding that the child was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

In the statement Nichole's father's family sent to ABC13, they asked "for privacy and respect for Nichole's father, James, and our family as we all figure out how to grieve her horrible loss and try to figure out how to go on from here."

"Nichole has grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and a father that all loved her dearly and never thought such a tragic event would happen to such an innocent child," the statement continued.

She will always hold a special place in all of our hearts. We will always remember her as the sweetest little girl who never met a stranger.

"We are hoping and praying justice will be served and the heartless monster who took our sweet girl away from us pay for the innocent life she took."

In the GoFundMe set up by Nichole's aunt, she wrote that on Sunday, "my beautiful niece Nichole, was coldy taken from this world by her own mother."

Donations "will be used for a final resting place for baby girl, as well as my brothers bills so he can grieve the loss of his daughter," she wrote.

A spokesperson with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services released the following statement to ABC 13:

"Child Protective Services is investigating this tragic death alongside law enforcement. The child's mother, Melissa Towne, does have prior history with CPS, but specific details of CPS investigations are confidential according to law. Ms. Towne has three additional children ranging in age from 2 years old to 18 years old, who are safe and have been living with other family members."

It was not immediately clear if Towne has entered a plea to the charges or retained an attorney to comment on her behalf.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.