A 19-year-old Washington state mother has been charged with second-degree murder after prosecutors say she recorded an upbeat TikTok dance in her infant son's hospital room while the 7-week-old lay dying from injuries doctors described as abusive head trauma.
Prosecutors in Pierce County charged Alyssa Jade Vanderbeck on March 12, along with the child's father, 21-year-old Mark Anthony Labaco Clamor, days after their son died at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma.
Clamor faces counts of second-degree murder and second-degree assault of a child, while Vanderbeck is charged with second-degree murder and criminal mistreatment. Both are being held in the Pierce County Jail on bonds set at $1 million each, according to People.
Court records state the couple called 911 on Mar. 4, reporting their baby was not breathing at their Lakewood home. The child was rushed to the pediatric intensive care unit, where doctors found subdural hemorrhages, anoxic brain injury, retinal bleeding, and possible healing rib fractures. A physician concluded the pattern of injuries was consistent with abusive head trauma and not sudden infant death syndrome.
The infant, identified in documents by the initials N.C., died on Mar. 9, about five days after he was admitted in critical condition. An autopsy indicated the tentative cause of death was homicide due to abusive head trauma, according to the probable cause affidavit. A hospital social worker contacted police after the injuries raised concerns about possible child abuse, Law and Crime reported.
Investigators say Clamor admitted he jerked the baby in a rough manner after the child became fussy, telling officers he saw the infant's head "jerk back pretty hard." Both parents also allegedly acknowledged shaking the baby while trying to rouse him when he appeared unresponsive. Prosecutors say the pair waited about an hour after noticing the boy in serious distress before seeking medical help, calling friends and relatives first.
As detectives reviewed social media, they found a TikTok video Vanderbeck allegedly recorded on Mar. 8 inside the hospital. In the clip, she is seen slowly dancing in the bathroom of her son's room while upbeat music plays, even as doctors did not expect the child to survive, investigators wrote. An officer described the parents' demeanor at the hospital as unusual, given the severity of the baby's condition, as per Komo News.
