REMEMBERING ANNA

Anna Celeste Lowe, affectionately known as Celeste, was a little girl whose life ended before she had the opportunity to experience so much of childhood.

Born on June 13, 2005, Anna was attending kindergarten at Elm Grove Elementary School in Louisiana. She should have been enjoying school, making friends, learning new things, and looking forward to the birthdays and milestones still ahead of her.

She was a daughter and a student, a child whose safety and happiness should have been protected by the adults around her.

Instead, Anna became caught in a complicated family situation involving custody disputes and allegations of abuse.

Her death would eventually lead to criminal proceedings and civil litigation examining how concerns about her safety had been handled.

But Anna deserves to be remembered as more than the subject of those investigations.

She was a little girl whose life mattered, whose childhood deserved protection, and whose future should never have been taken away.

ANNA'S STORY

In late 2010, Anna was living with her father, Wesley Lowe, and her stepmother, Catherine Lowe, in Bossier Parish, Louisiana.

Her father had obtained a protective order restricting contact with her biological mother, Jamie Mercer, following allegations of physical and sexual abuse. Those allegations were under investigation, and Jamie was permitted only supervised visits.

Anna's last visit with her mother took place on October 30, 2010, at the Louisiana State Fair.

While living with her father and stepmother, Anna attended Elm Grove Elementary School.

In December 2010, one of her teachers noticed bruising on Anna's neck and reported suspected abuse to the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office.

An investigation was opened, but it was closed after the detective learned that Anna had not recently been in her biological mother's care. The investigator did not establish who had actually caused the injury.

On January 11, 2011, Anna was seen boarding her school bus.

Over the following two days, she became seriously ill.

According to investigators, Catherine Lowe had physically assaulted Anna, causing catastrophic injuries to her abdomen.

Rather than obtaining immediate emergency medical treatment, Catherine claimed that Anna was suffering from a stomach virus.

On January 13, Catherine and Wesley brought Anna to Willis-Knighton Pierremont Medical Center in Shreveport.

She was pronounced dead.

Medical personnel determined that Anna had already been dead for approximately two hours before arriving at the hospital.

An autopsy revealed that she had suffered severe internal injuries caused by blunt force trauma. The injuries had damaged the connection between her stomach and intestines, causing internal bleeding.

The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide.

Investigators subsequently determined that Catherine had been alone with Anna when the fatal injuries occurred.

The little girl who should have been receiving care and protection had instead suffered injuries that ended her life.

WARNING SIGNS & SYSTEM FAILURES

Anna's death followed several reports and investigations involving concerns about her safety.

In September 2010, her father reported a bruise on her forehead and accused her biological mother of causing the injury. He also raised allegations of sexual abuse.

Anna was evaluated by professionals, and a protective order was issued restricting contact with Jamie Mercer while those allegations were investigated.

In December, a teacher noticed a bruise on Anna's neck and reported suspected abuse to law enforcement.

Anna reportedly attributed the injury to her mother.

However, investigators learned that Anna had not been in Jamie's care since October.

Rather than fully determining the source of the injury, the investigation was closed.

The Louisiana Court of Appeal later documented these circumstances in litigation arising from Anna's death.

Her biological mother pursued a wrongful death lawsuit against Anna's father, stepmother, child welfare authorities, and law enforcement agencies.

The lawsuit raised questions about whether earlier reports had been properly investigated and whether agencies had taken sufficient steps to protect Anna.

In 2017, the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed a ruling granting immunity to the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office and a detective concerning the claims addressed in that appeal.

That ruling did not establish that every allegation in the lawsuit had been proven.

Nevertheless, Anna's case demonstrated the dangers of allowing assumptions about family custody disputes to interfere with determining the actual source of a child's injuries.

Her teacher recognized a possible warning sign and reported it.

Anna deserved a thorough investigation that established whether she was safe.

JUSTICE FOR ANNA

Following Anna's death, her father and stepmother were initially arrested as investigators examined the circumstances surrounding her fatal injuries.

Catherine Murray Lowe

Relationship to Anna: Stepmother

Conviction: Manslaughter

Sentence: 25 years in prison

Catherine Lowe was initially charged with negligent homicide. As investigators uncovered additional evidence, the charge was increased to murder.

A grand jury subsequently indicted her for first degree murder.

Rather than proceed to trial on the murder charge, Catherine entered a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

In December 2012, she was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison.

The conviction established her criminal responsibility for the violence that caused Anna's death.

Wesley Dewayne Lowe

Relationship to Anna: Father

Original charge: Negligent homicide

Outcome: Charge dismissed in December 2012

Wesley Lowe was initially charged with negligent homicide following Anna's death.

However, prosecutors later dismissed the charge.

The Bossier Parish district attorney stated that investigators had not established that Wesley was involved in causing Anna's death and that he had an alibi for the fatal incident.

Wesley was therefore not convicted of Anna's homicide.

Anna's biological mother, Jamie Mercer, continued pursuing civil litigation concerning the circumstances that led to her daughter's death and the actions of the agencies involved.

Although Catherine Lowe received a lengthy prison sentence, no punishment could restore Anna's life or give her the childhood she deserved.

FOREVER REMEMBERED

Anna Celeste Lowe should have had so many more mornings walking into her kindergarten classroom, afternoons playing with friends, and evenings sharing stories about her day.

She should have celebrated her sixth birthday, moved on to first grade, discovered new interests, and experienced all the little moments that make growing up so special.

Known to those around her as Celeste, she was a little girl whose life held meaning far beyond the tragedy that ended it.

Her teacher's concern for her safety reminds us that Anna was seen and that someone recognized she might need help.

Her story remains a reminder of how important it is to listen carefully when a child may be experiencing abuse and to investigate every warning sign without allowing assumptions to replace evidence.

But Anna deserves to be remembered for the life she lived, not only for the failures and violence surrounding her death.

She was a daughter, a student, and a child who deserved to feel safe, valued, and loved.

Although her future was taken from her, her name and memory deserve to endure.

Abuse Angels remembers Anna Celeste Lowe.

Remembered. Honored. Never Forgotten.