The biological parents of Victoria Rose Smith are reeling after learning that the 3-year-old girl was allegedly killed by her adoptive parents. Victoria was adopted last March by couple Ariel and Jerry Austin Robinson. Ariel had some recognition behind her — she was once featured on the Food Network series Worst Cooks in America.
Ariel recently appeared on the 20th season of the competition show. She was also reportedly the winner, according to the Los Angeles Times. Based on these allegations, her season of the show has been pulled from all streaming services.
Victoria was found unresponsive by authorities. Upon further examination, it was declared that she had been abused prior to her death.
Currently, both Ariel and Jerry Robinson are being held without bond at the Greenville County Detention Center for their possible involvement with the crime. According to People magazine, Victoria's biological parents were able to give her a sweet goodbye at a church graveyard located in Travelers Rest, South Carolina.
The Robinsons reportedly have two biological sons. In February of 2020, they adopted Victoria along with her two biological brothers, adding to their family. On social media, Ariel reportedly talked about her blended family a lot, which makes these abuse claims even harder to stomach.
According to Ariel's Twitter account, which is currently still active, she presented herself as "Ari- People Lover." As her bio stated, she's a religious wife and mother who, aside from winning the 20th season of the Food Network competition, is also a comedian.
Ariel even has a professional website, stating, "She is a wife, mom, and former middle school teacher turned stand up comedian & TV personality. She’s most known for winning season 20 of Food Network’s highest ranking show, Worst Cooks in America, where she brought her big, funny personality to all of America with her trusty sidekick, Shirley (her stomach)."
Ariel seemed to feature photos of Victoria a lot on social media. From the outside, nobody knew that these allegations were reportedly happening. Authorities listed blunt force trauma as the reason for Victoria's death. Ariel and her husband are currently the prime suspects.
From the outside, nobody would have been able to predict this type of violence occurring. The Daily Mail retrieved a post of Ariel's on social media, saying, "In my house, my black children get treated the same as my white children, and my white children get treated the same as my black children."
Ariel seemed excited to welcome the new additions, making an Instagram post to celebrate the occasion. "One year ago, on my birthday, we announced that we were becoming a family of 7! The paperwork had been signed and things were set in motion for our babies to move in within the next few months. It's so crazy how things have changed from then to now," she wrote.
"From wishing they were with us during the holidays last year to enjoying them being here for the first time this year…we wouldn't change a thing!" she continued. "Having them here now, is the best birthday gift I could get today! It’s crazy how drastic things can change in 1 year!! God is so good!"
Casie Phares, who's the biological mom of Victoria, was able to place a teddy bear by her grave at her funeral. "Police officers handle all kinds of cases, and these kind of cases can be the hardest for them to do," said Simpsonville police spokesman Justin Lee Campbell to People, regarding the case. "It is a sad day. You bring charges and maybe convictions, but at the end of the day the life of a child was taken."
Both Ariel and her husband Jerry (also known as Austin) host a podcast, called the Double A Shenanigan Podcast. It seems as if Ariel was using her Food Network fame to launch her career as an entertainer even further. "We have been married for 10 years now, but we have been best friends for almost 17 years," the website reads. "We have 5 beautful children, 2 through birth, and 3 through adoption — all 5 by choice and from God's perfect grace and blessings to our lives!"
Michelle Urps, who is Victoria's great-aunt, has been the family spokesperson throughout this awful ordeal, spoke to WISTV about what happened. "Nobody in my family is holding up well," she said. "The emotions in this family are very raw."
"There were big things ahead for that little girl," she continued. "Honestly and truly if she had been allowed to live the rest of her life she would have conquered the world." She was very vocal in getting the rights to bury and pay respects to Victoria in their own loving way.
Motives are still unclear as to why this incident happened. As Extra and other outlets have reported, the sentence for death by child abuse is often 20 years to life in prison. The fact that she was a former teacher is even more alarming, as anyone would assume that having professional experience with children would make for an even more stable adoption match.
This case is, unfortunately, proof that child abuse may be happening before your very eyes. From the outset, this little girl was loved by her adoptive parents. But now her death may tell another story.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453. You can also visit Childhelp to find ways to get help.
