Samantha J. Wishman (Marinette County Police Department)
A 32-year-old mother of four in Wisconsin has been arrested nearly a year after she allegedly beat her fiance’s 3-year-old son to death and claimed the child was fatally injured when he fell down the stairs.
Samantha J. Wishman was taken into custody this week and charged with one count of first-degree reckless homicide and neglect of a child resulting in death for the June 2023 slaying of the little boy, authorities announced.
According to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by Law&Crime, officers and emergency medical personnel at about 11:42 a.m. on June 15 responded to a call about an unresponsive 3-year-old at a home on Gilbert Street in Marinette, about 50 miles northeast of Green Bay.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders found the boy’s father performing CPR and took over. The child’s skin was “blueish” in color and his skin was cold to the touch. Wishman allegedly told authorities at the scene that the boy had fallen down the stairs the night before.
The boy was transported to the hospital while the father and Wishman waited behind to speak with authorities. The father was described as “frantic” while Wishman was described as “more calm” as she helped keep the other kids in the house under control. The child was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the facility.
A detective at the hospital involved in processing the boy’s body said that immediately after his death, the child was in “full body rigor” and had “a fairly strong odor of decomposition.” This belied Wishman’s statement to police that the boy was alive and well when she checked on him between 10:30 and 10:45 a.m. that morning.
“I have never smelled the odor of decomposition this strong in someone who has been dead for approximately one hour,” the detective wrote in the affidavit.
The boy appeared to have suffered “significant bruising” on his head, his abdomen appeared distended, and he had a “golf ball sized lump” on his forehead that was surrounded by bruising. There was dried blood inside the boy’s nose and on his hands that someone had appeared to try to clean off.
Additionally, the victim had extensive bruising on his back, chest, neck, and arms, authorities said.
In an interview with detectives, Wishman allegedly said that the previous evening the victim and another child would not sleep and were with her in an upstairs bedroom playing. As she was changing the other boy between 1 and 2 a.m., she said she heard the the victim fall “all the way down” the 14-stair staircase.
She claimed she stayed up with him and that he ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before he fell asleep between 4 and 5 a.m. on the morning of June 15. Wishman said she looked in on the victim about every hour until about 8:40 a.m. and he was moving but asleep. It wasn’t until she saw him not moving and brought him downstairs just before noon that she called 911.
An autopsy also showed that the boy had suffered multiple broken ribs and a punctured lung and that the doctor who performed the autopsy said there was no way the victim would have been able to eat after suffering his injuries.
“That’s so weird,” Wishman allegedly responded.
A forensic search of Wishman’s phone turned up multiple messages she sent to the victim’s father that police said were “cause for concern.”
She sent another message at about 9:40 p.m. that night.
“I’m ready to hurt these mother f—– kids nobody f—– understands I can’t breathe so this is so much harder n now I’m having more problems breathing,” she allegedly wrote.
At about 1 a.m. she allegedly wrote that the victim and another sibling “r not allowed to move or get up from where tf they are until I GET UP I am not playing.”
Another message from about 4:18 a.m. reportedly read:
I hate my life sooooo much… What else can go wrong tonight… Kids weren’t listening well (you know) who wasn’t listening so I put (the victim and his sibling) upstairs as I’m changing (the victim’s sibling) here comes (the victim) down the f—– stairs so his one side of his face probably will b bruised when he wakes up. Side of his head was the start of one n under his eye that’s what I noticed. He wasn’t bruised on his belly or back but I will b checking in the morning. I did keep him up later then the rest bc of that n I been keeping an eye on him.
The Marinette County Medical Examiner determined that the victim’s injuries were not consistent with a single fall down the stairs.
“In summary, the finding of multiplanar patterned bruising; bruising in anatomically protected locations; and severe internal injuries would not be expected after a stairway fall,” the report states. “In my opinion, (the victim) has likely been a victim of non-accidental trauma which led to his death.”
When told that the boy’s injuries were far too severe and just did not comport with a fall down the stairs, Wishman allegedly responded that “doesn’t make sense,” then asked if she was free to leave the interview.
Wishman is currently being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 15.
