Background: Mary Bridge Children”s Hospital in Tacoma, Wash. (Google Maps). Inset: Shannon McNease (Mason County Sheriff’s Office).
Authorities in Washington state report that a woman posted incriminating Facebook messages confessing to thoughts of harming her 2-month-old daughter, leading to her being charged with attempted murder and assault.
Shannon McNease, aged 27, was arrested by Mason County Sheriff’s deputies on Thursday following an investigation into her injured child. She is currently held in Washington’s Kitsap County with a bond set at $1 million.
Bremerton police state that on August 7, the child’s father took the infant to the emergency room where “suspicious” injuries were observed. Transferred to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, the baby was diagnosed with a brain bleed and multiple fractures, deemed to result from “non-accidental trauma.”
Further investigation by police allegedly revealed that McNease had allegedly expressed “homicidal intent” toward her baby.
Local CBS affiliate KIRO obtained court documents containing alleged Facebook messages from McNease to the baby’s father and a friend. In these messages, McNease reportedly expressed disdain towards the baby, declaring, “I can’t stand her dude,” and mentioned that the baby was “back on her BS again.”
In a detailed note to a friend, McNease allegedly stated, “I legit want to shake her to death or throw her on the floor to make sure she dies. Only when she’s crying and screaming though, which I guess is pretty much all the time now. Her cries make me feel like I’m going to snap and murder.”
Upon interrogation by police, McNease reportedly confessed to crafting the messages, asserting she was grappling with postpartum depression and was in a state of “mental and emotional distress.” She insisted to the police that she didn’t mean her expressions literally. The court documents showed her emotional struggle as McNease confided to a friend, “It’s not like I hate her. I’d die for her dude. But the stress is tearing my sanity apart. Faster and faster every day.”
According to court documents, McNease also wrote that her baby “is the realest and truest love of my life. I adore her down to her bones. I really do. I love her so f—ing much. And when she’s not crying and screaming, she’s blissful as f—.”
Police said that both parents denied any abuse and allegedly attempted to explain away the injuries by saying she was accidentally dropped and that their “cat jumped on her one time.” Medical staff who examined the little girl told police that her kinds of injuries occurred “when the extremity is pulled or twisted forcibly. They can also occur when a child is forcibly shaken. Metaphyseal fractures do not occur with routine care and handling of an infant. They do not occur from kicking or impacting a hard surface. Metaphyseal fractures are highly associated with child abuse.”
Police said that the baby survived her injuries and is in the care of relatives; KIRO reported that the baby was with her grandparents.
KIRO reported that the father of the baby has not been charged with any crimes.
McNease was charged with attempted first-degree murder and assault on a child. She is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 26.
