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| A Dead Child, a Ghostly Photo and a Mother Charged With Murder | A Dead Child, a Ghostly Photo and a Mother Charged With Murder |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| It was 3 a.m. when Sunny Jo’s smartphone began insistently sounding with Facebook notifications, alerting him that his name was being mentioned. | It was 3 a.m. when Sunny Jo’s smartphone began insistently sounding with Facebook notifications, alerting him that his name was being mentioned. |
| Ping. Ping. Ping. | Ping. Ping. Ping. |
| For Mr. Jo, a photographer from Hazleton, Pa., the alerts on a Saturday last month were his first hint that a picture he had retouched for a grieving mother in North Carolina was gaining widespread attention on social media. | For Mr. Jo, a photographer from Hazleton, Pa., the alerts on a Saturday last month were his first hint that a picture he had retouched for a grieving mother in North Carolina was gaining widespread attention on social media. |
| But the attention, it turned out, was for the worst reasons possible. | But the attention, it turned out, was for the worst reasons possible. |
| The mother, Jeanie K. Ditty of Spring Lake, N.C., had contacted Mr. Jo a month after her 2-year-old daughter, Macy, died on Dec. 4, 2015. | The mother, Jeanie K. Ditty of Spring Lake, N.C., had contacted Mr. Jo a month after her 2-year-old daughter, Macy, died on Dec. 4, 2015. |
| Mr. Jo, 22, offers a service, “One More Time,” in which he adds a superimposed image of a dead loved one into a photograph of a surviving family member. He said in an interview that the retouched photos were a way to bring comfort to grieving relatives and to reunite them with their loved ones. | Mr. Jo, 22, offers a service, “One More Time,” in which he adds a superimposed image of a dead loved one into a photograph of a surviving family member. He said in an interview that the retouched photos were a way to bring comfort to grieving relatives and to reunite them with their loved ones. |
| Ms. Ditty sent three photos of herself at a cemetery, and Mr. Jo photoshopped faded images of Macy in an aura of light next to or walking with her mother. | Ms. Ditty sent three photos of herself at a cemetery, and Mr. Jo photoshopped faded images of Macy in an aura of light next to or walking with her mother. |
| “To me, she seemed like a grieving mother,” he said. Touched by her circumstances, he said he did about $500 worth of retouching work for free. | “To me, she seemed like a grieving mother,” he said. Touched by her circumstances, he said he did about $500 worth of retouching work for free. |
| But Mr. Jo said he was stunned to learn March 26 that Ms. Ditty, 23, and her boyfriend, Zachary E. Keefer, 32, had been charged in what the authorities said was the beating death of Macy. | But Mr. Jo said he was stunned to learn March 26 that Ms. Ditty, 23, and her boyfriend, Zachary E. Keefer, 32, had been charged in what the authorities said was the beating death of Macy. |
| Ms. Ditty had posted the retouched photos “everywhere” Mr. Jo said, and they were widely cited in news accounts about her murder charges. The result, he said, was thousands of mentions of his name on Facebook. | Ms. Ditty had posted the retouched photos “everywhere” Mr. Jo said, and they were widely cited in news accounts about her murder charges. The result, he said, was thousands of mentions of his name on Facebook. |
| “I’ve gotten a lot of hate because of this,” he said. “The amount of backlash is just terrible.” | “I’ve gotten a lot of hate because of this,” he said. “The amount of backlash is just terrible.” |
| Mr. Jo said Ms. Ditty told him through Facebook’s Messenger that she gave her daughter a banana and that Macy began choking on it and then choked on her own vomit, cutting off oxygen to her brain. | Mr. Jo said Ms. Ditty told him through Facebook’s Messenger that she gave her daughter a banana and that Macy began choking on it and then choked on her own vomit, cutting off oxygen to her brain. |
| But the police in Fayetteville, N.C., painted a different picture of what happened. | But the police in Fayetteville, N.C., painted a different picture of what happened. |
| Police officers responded on Dec. 2, 2015, to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center to a report of an unresponsive child. Members of the medical staff found bruises all over Macy’s body and determined she had suffered life-threatening injuries consistent with child abuse, the police said. | Police officers responded on Dec. 2, 2015, to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center to a report of an unresponsive child. Members of the medical staff found bruises all over Macy’s body and determined she had suffered life-threatening injuries consistent with child abuse, the police said. |
| After further evaluation, it was determined that her injuries appeared to have been inflicted within 24 hours of her arrival at the medical center, the police said. | After further evaluation, it was determined that her injuries appeared to have been inflicted within 24 hours of her arrival at the medical center, the police said. |
| Macy died just 10 days shy of her third birthday. | Macy died just 10 days shy of her third birthday. |
| Ms. Ditty and Mr. Keefer are each charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse. | Ms. Ditty and Mr. Keefer are each charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse. |
| “It’s very hard for the family on all sides of the fence,” said Bernard P. Condlin, the chief public defender in Cumberland County, N.C., who is representing Ms. Ditty. | “It’s very hard for the family on all sides of the fence,” said Bernard P. Condlin, the chief public defender in Cumberland County, N.C., who is representing Ms. Ditty. |
| Charges were filed months after Macy died because the police were awaiting a report from the chief medical examiner, who ruled her death a homicide. | Charges were filed months after Macy died because the police were awaiting a report from the chief medical examiner, who ruled her death a homicide. |
| “Right now, we are still in kind of a fact-finding posture because we don’t know what happened to the baby,” Mr. Condlin said, adding that his office is awaiting a formal report on Macy’s cause of death. | “Right now, we are still in kind of a fact-finding posture because we don’t know what happened to the baby,” Mr. Condlin said, adding that his office is awaiting a formal report on Macy’s cause of death. |
| He said Ms. Ditty was being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center on a high bond amount. He said Mr. Keefer had yet to be assigned a lawyer. | He said Ms. Ditty was being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center on a high bond amount. He said Mr. Keefer had yet to be assigned a lawyer. |
| Tina Goodwin, 46, of Enterprise, Ala., who is Macy’s paternal grandmother, said the family had seen no hint of trouble. | Tina Goodwin, 46, of Enterprise, Ala., who is Macy’s paternal grandmother, said the family had seen no hint of trouble. |
| Ms. Goodwin’s son is Kevin C. Ditty, Macy’s father. He and Ms. Ditty were married in 2012. He is a sergeant in the United States Army who is now at Fort Bragg, N.C., but had served overseas for much of his daughter’s life, Ms. Goodwin said. | Ms. Goodwin’s son is Kevin C. Ditty, Macy’s father. He and Ms. Ditty were married in 2012. He is a sergeant in the United States Army who is now at Fort Bragg, N.C., but had served overseas for much of his daughter’s life, Ms. Goodwin said. |
| Ms. Ditty was enlisted in the Army from June 2011 through November 2012. She enlisted again in April 2015 and is on active duty with a status of “confined by civil authorities,” according to an Army spokeswoman. | Ms. Ditty was enlisted in the Army from June 2011 through November 2012. She enlisted again in April 2015 and is on active duty with a status of “confined by civil authorities,” according to an Army spokeswoman. |
| Ms. Goodwin said she was walking in the door with her granddaughter’s birthday gifts when her son called with the news that Macy was in the hospital on life support. | Ms. Goodwin said she was walking in the door with her granddaughter’s birthday gifts when her son called with the news that Macy was in the hospital on life support. |
| “This is a 2-year-old baby that got the life beaten out of her for no reason at all,” said Ms. Goodwin. “We’ll know the how, the what, the when, but we’ll never know the why.” | |
| Macy’s great-aunt, Michelle Smith, set up a Facebook page, Justiceformacy, to call attention to the case and child abuse. | |
| As for the retouched photos that Ms. Ditty had done, Ms. Goodwin said of her daughter-in-law: “She was mocking that baby’s death. She honestly thought she was getting away with that baby’s death. She showed more attention to that baby in her death than when that baby was alive.” | As for the retouched photos that Ms. Ditty had done, Ms. Goodwin said of her daughter-in-law: “She was mocking that baby’s death. She honestly thought she was getting away with that baby’s death. She showed more attention to that baby in her death than when that baby was alive.” |
| For Mr. Jo, the attention has put an unexpected harsh spotlight on his work. | For Mr. Jo, the attention has put an unexpected harsh spotlight on his work. |
| He said his “One More Time” service, which he began about a year ago, accounts for up to 50 percent of his business. “I haven’t worked in five days,” he said in a telephone interview last week. | He said his “One More Time” service, which he began about a year ago, accounts for up to 50 percent of his business. “I haven’t worked in five days,” he said in a telephone interview last week. |
| The idea for the service was born after his father died of lung cancer in 2012. Mr. Jo was at his father’s grave and asked his brother to take a photograph of him after feeling his father’s presence at the site. | The idea for the service was born after his father died of lung cancer in 2012. Mr. Jo was at his father’s grave and asked his brother to take a photograph of him after feeling his father’s presence at the site. |
| Mr. Jo later took the photo and photoshopped an image of his father standing behind him. For five months he did nothing with the photo but, he said, when he posted it to Facebook, it was met with an outpouring of interest. | Mr. Jo later took the photo and photoshopped an image of his father standing behind him. For five months he did nothing with the photo but, he said, when he posted it to Facebook, it was met with an outpouring of interest. |
| Mr. Jo said from what he had seen, this kind of commemorative photography service was not widely offered but it was gaining in popularity. Mr. Jo said he was inspired by the artist Charles L. Peterson, whose work features “transparent townsfolk or people in the background.” | Mr. Jo said from what he had seen, this kind of commemorative photography service was not widely offered but it was gaining in popularity. Mr. Jo said he was inspired by the artist Charles L. Peterson, whose work features “transparent townsfolk or people in the background.” |
| “Spiritual photography” has its roots dating to the 1860s. William Mumler, a Boston and New York photographer whose works had ghostly images appearing in the background, was the first known practitioner of the craft. His patrons included Mary Todd Lincoln, who visited him after her husband’s assassination. | “Spiritual photography” has its roots dating to the 1860s. William Mumler, a Boston and New York photographer whose works had ghostly images appearing in the background, was the first known practitioner of the craft. His patrons included Mary Todd Lincoln, who visited him after her husband’s assassination. |
| The mayor of New York ordered an investigation into his practices, and P.T. Barnum testified for the prosecution at his trial in 1869. Mr. Mumler was acquitted but also discredited after being suspected of manipulating photo plates. | The mayor of New York ordered an investigation into his practices, and P.T. Barnum testified for the prosecution at his trial in 1869. Mr. Mumler was acquitted but also discredited after being suspected of manipulating photo plates. |