Man found dead with baby had recently divorced

A 29-year-old man found dead with his infant daughter Sunday was mentally disabled and had a personal protective order against his ex-wife, from whom he’d recently divorced, according to Oakland County court records.

Daryne Gailey of Oxford Township filed for divorce about six months after marrying Amanda Hendrick in August 2013. With the divorce pending, his mother Sylvia Majewska had filed for the protection order, saying his wife, Amanda Gailey was diagnosed bi-polar and had grown increasingly violent, kicking him in the groin and throwing a cell phone at him, according to court records. Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Lisa Gorcyca granted the order.

Today, a homicide investigation continues after Gailey and his daughter, Charley Lillian Hendrick, who was born in January, were found with a 65-year-old woman in his Oxford Township home. The autopsies are underway this morning, the Oakland County Medical Examiner confirmed.

The victims were found in a home on the 100 block of Kintyre near M-24/Lapeer Road in Oxford Township, after police responded to the house on a missing-person report. The injured woman, whose name hasn’t been released but police said is believed to be Gailey’s mother, was admitted to a Pontiac hospital for treatment. She was found with injuries from a sharp object; the baby had no visible signs of trauma, and a sharp object was taken as evidence, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

Gailey worked as a clerk at the Kroger grocery store in Lake Orion, less than 2 miles from his house, said a woman at the store who identified herself as an assistant manager but declined to give her name. She said Daryne Gailey had worked there for 15 years.

“We all loved Daryne, he had a great big heart,” she said. “He loved working here and serving the community… We’re just all in shock, and we all deal with this in our own way.”

Daryne Gailey had life-long cognitive learning disabilities and a seizure disorder. As a result, his mother Majewska was appointed his guardian when he was a child. In January, she sought to have the marriage annulled, saying he did not have the capacity to marry. Charley was born in January.

A divorce was filed in February, on behalf of Daryne Gailey, and Amanda Gailey was granted full physical and legal custody of the baby. Daryne Gailey was granted every other Friday night visitation, as long as his mother was present. The divorce/annulment was final Nov. 3.

As part of the protection order, Majewska asked that Amanda Gailey be ordered not to contact Darnye Gailey and that all communication go through her. According to court records, during their short marriage, Amanda Gailey, who was unemployed, coerced Daryne Gailey to open new charge accounts, purchase jewelry, pay for her phone, and to rent her a car.

“Daryne Gailey does not have the sufficient capacity and will power to resist these demands and is extremely limited in his ability to fully comprehend the financial crisis his girlfriend/wife has gotten him into,” his court appointed conservator, attorney Thomas Brennan, wrote in a probate file in April. “Amanda Gailey’s actions have isolated Daryne Gailey from his family and friends and she has on numerous occasions called the police to report complaints against the guardian and the conservator.”

Brennan continued, “In addition, Amanda Gailey has physically assaulted Daryne Gailey by throwing things at him and publicly kicking him when she disapproves of his statements or actions.”

The sheriff’s office dispatched deputies to Gailey’s house at about 9:50 a.m. Sunday after his father had called saying it seemed unusual that he hadn’t heard from him. They’d previously been to the house after Hendrick called and said the child was supposed to be returned Saturday night, but wasn’t; deputies the first time had checked the house and another Oxford location, but couldn’t find them.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Dale Brown said Sunday that it was “a very chaotic scene” and that there didn’t appear to be signs of forced entry into the home. Nobody was in custody or charged Sunday night in the case.

Free Press reporter Christina Hall contributed to this report.

Contact Robert Allen at rallen@freepress.com or@rallenMI