Who is Tella Sanford? All we know about Michigan Church shooting suspect's wife and their son Brattlee
Thomas Jacob Sanford, a former Marine and shooting suspect, is survived by his wife Tella and son Brantlee, who has congenital hyperinsulinism.
Tella Sanford has been named as the spouse of Thomas Jacob Sanford, the suspect of the Grand Blanc church shooting in Michigan. The suspect, who reportedly was a distinguished former US Marine from Michigan with a "stellar" service record, was eventually shot dead by the police.

Thomas and his wife Tella's son, Brantlee, recently turned 10 years old.
According to Lake Orion Review, a GoFundMe campaign was also started in 2015 to raise money for the son Brantlee.
All we know about Brantlee and his disease
According to the publication, the youngster was receiving food via a stomach tube and using a ventilator to breathe.
Brantlee was suffering from congenital hyperinsulin, a hereditary disorder in which the insulin cells of the pancreas, called beta cells, leak excessive amounts of insulin.
Their son was born six weeks premature and was rushed to two different hospitals.
At Cook Children's Hospital, a significant amount of Brantlee's pancreas was removed in order to address the localized congenital hyperinsulinism. However, just a small percentage of the organ that produced insulin remained after the procedure.
Brantlee's surgery and diabetes issue
After Brantlee had surgery, Katie Hamilton, Jacob Sanford's sister, talked about how she felt about the difficulties Brantlee would face.
“He’s going to be a diabetic now and they have him on an insulin pump, sugar drip and feeding tube. Down the road, his mom and dad will have to check his blood sugar multiple times a day and he’ll have three insulin shots a day until he’s 5,” she said.
Tella and Thomas were engaged at the time, according to Lake Orion Review, and he was employed at Coca-Cola. The River Church in Goodrich also hosted a spaghetti supper fundraiser for their son/
Tella, the wife of Thomas Jacob Sanford, has not yet responded to any inquiries about her husband's suspected involvement in the Michigan shooting case. Additionally, the GoFundMe page that was started for his kid is no longer operational.
ABOUT THE AUTHORShweta KukretiShweta Kukreti has over 8 years of experience in covering Indian and world politics. She joined the Hindustan Times in 2024 and is primarily assigned to the US desk. She currently works as Deputy Chief Content Producer and reports on a wide range of topics, including US politics, immigration issues (especially H-1B visa) and major global events. Shweta strongly emphasizes team operations, which encompasses monitoring news, delegating tasks, editing, developing comprehensive coverage strategies, and crafting engaging, and data-informed narratives. She received the Digi Star Award at the Hindustan Times within a year of joining for her broad coverage of US politics. In 2025, she earned both a promotion and a redesignation, a significant achievement recognising her contributions and the strong value she brings to the team. She has previously worked with the Indian Express, HTDS, ANI and Republic World. Seniors in all the media organisations recognised her work. Regarding education, she earned a BA (Hons.) in Political Science and a master's degree from Delhi University, and she pursued a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institution of Mass Communication (IIMC). She also holds a diploma in Women's Empowerment and Development from IGNOU University and a French certification course from Alliance Française de Delhi. If not working, you can find her exploring the hills and engaging in adventurous activities in Rishikesh and Himachal Pradesh. She loves to play badminton, volleyball, and chess, and spend time with her friends and family. She also enjoys spiritual activities.Read More

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