A mother from Milwaukee is now facing felony charges after police found her 10-month-old daughter’s decomposing body in a cardboard box, surrounded by flies and maggots, within her apartment.
Shyanna Brothers, 28, is charged with concealing or hiding the corpse of a child, a Class F felony that could lead to 12 and a half years in prison and a $25,000 fine, as per court documents, First Alert 6 reports.
Authorities were summoned to an apartment on North 27th Street on August 13 following neighbors’ complaints of a foul smell and hearing someone say, “the baby is gone.”
Brothers initially blamed it on old food, later claiming she had escaped domestic violence and suggesting someone else had harmed the child.
But according to the criminal complaint, Brothers eventually told officers, “He has me hiding her in there,” while pointing to a locked bedroom.
Inside, police found her daughter, Rayne Taylor, in a large cardboard box in the center of the floor, surrounded by flies and maggots.
The complaint said the infant was in an advanced state of decomposition and the room’s floor was covered with dead insects.
According to ABC 12, Assistant Medical Examiner, Dr. Jessica Lelinski from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, noted a frontal-parietal skull fracture consistent with blunt force trauma. The cause and manner of death remain undetermined pending further tests.
The complaint outlined that Brothers provided inconsistent and erratic answers during several police interviews. Initially, she alleged that the child’s father had killed their daughter weeks prior and had coerced her into silence.
Her statements then became more disjointed, referencing being “raped” and “forced to hurt my kid.”
In a subsequent interview, police observed her behavior becoming more erratic. She appeared to speak with unseen individuals, at one point exclaiming, “We went entirely too far, Shyanna,” and later yelling, “My name is Brendan. I killed your kid because my name is Brendan.”
A neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, said she never saw Brothers with a baby but noticed her spending long hours outside the apartment in recent weeks.
According to the neighbor, Brothers complained it was “so stinky in her house” that she could not stay inside.
Brothers appeared in court on August 17 where defense attorney Stephen Sargent raised concerns about her mental competency, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
A psychological evaluation has been ordered, with results expected next month.
Her bond was set at $50,000, and records show she remained in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail as of August 20. Police said they are not seeking additional suspects at this time.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo via Milwaukee PD]
