The second-grader at William B. Ward Elementary School, was found dead Tuesday in their home at 3 Arbor Glen, the Journal News reported.
Police said they would not speculate on a motive for the killing, which they believed was caused by asphyxia by suffocation. The exact cause was pending an autopsy.

 Smiling Gabriele Hord-White in photo with her mom, Michelle Hord-White

Gabriele’s body was discovered by a baby sitter. Police Capt. Robert Gazzola said the sitter had exchanged texts with Neil White around 1:40 p.m. Tuesday.
“She grew concerned based on the conversations that they had back and forth. So she went to the house to just check on the daughter. She saw Mr. White had cuts to his wrists. She saw some blood. She checked on the girl, and she saw that she wasn’t moving, and she called us,” Gazzola said.
Officers responded to a babysitter’s call about 3:20 p.m. Tuesday after she found the father, Neil White, bleeding on his arms, police said.
Gabriele had not gone to school Tuesday and police said they were looking into whether her father had called in her absence.

Crime scene activity by New Rochelle police investigating the suspicious death of a 7-year-old Gabriele White

Forensic unit of New Rochelle police  investigating the suspicious death of the 7-year-old girl at Arbor Glen.

Michelle Hord-White, 47, filed for divorce from Neil White in April and the couple was living apart, sharing custody of Gabriele, the paper reported.
Michelle Hord, the former senior producer for “Good Morning America” on ABC-TV and  director of talent recruitment and development at ABC News met her now estranged husband Neil White  in 1992, when he was her brother’s resident adviser at UConn,
The couple were married in 2007.
In January, police responded to the home over a verbal dispute between Neil White and Michelle Hord-White.  The verbal dispute was resolved and officers left after a few minutes, police said.

Neil White and Michelle Hord-White before the split

The school district issued a statement saying it would open Ward School with a crisis team in place.
“The City School District of New Rochelle and Ward School are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of our students. The student’s family is in all of our thoughts and prayers,” the district said. “It is important for both schools and families to support them by listening to them carefully and helping them through their feelings.”
Neil White who was arraigned Wednesday on a charge of second-degree murder appeared in court wearing a blue hospital gown, wearing only tan socks on his feet. He had bandages on both forearms. The judge ordered him held and issued two orders of protection, for his wife and for another person.
He’s due back in court June 15.