John Jefferson
Brittney Bailey (Austin Police Department)
A 31-year-old mother in Texas is facing the possibility of the death penalty several months after she allegedly beat her 3-month-old daughter to death, performed an internet search about her baby being “shooken,” and blamed her child’s fatal injuries on her 17-month-old child.
Authorities in Travis County on Monday filed documents charging Brittney Bailey with one count of capital murder of an individual under the age of six in connection with her child’s death, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a news release from the Austin, Texas Police Department, the investigation into Bailey began when officers responded at 11:14 p.m. on March 10 to The Revl Apartments in the 5000 block of North Lamar Boulevard in reference to a 3-month-old child who was not breathing. The county’s fire department and emergency medical services were also dispatched to the apartment complex.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders immediately located the victim and began performing life-saving procedures. The victim was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment. Unfortunately, the baby succumbed to their injuries and was pronounced dead on March 15.
Authorities did not reveal the victim’s cause of death but emphasized that the victim’s twin sister appeared to have been physically abused.
“During the initial investigation, detectives uncovered evidence concerning the decedent’s twin sister having non-accidental injuries,” police wrote in the release. “Child Abuse Detectives have arrested and charged Brittney Alisha Bailey, for Injury to a Child, a first-degree felony, for the injuries sustained by the decedent’s twin sister.”
Bailey initially told authorities that after changing the victim’s diaper, she went to wash her hands, and the victim rolled off of the changing bed, striking her head and then vomiting. Bailey later blamed the victim’s injuries on her 17-month-old child.
According to a report from Austin ABC affiliate KVUE, in a March 21 interview at the police station, Bailey maintained that her toddler was responsible for inflicting the fatal injuries on the victim. However, when detectives showed her evidence that such a scenario was not possible, she reportedly nodded in agreement, asked to use the bathroom, and then left the station abruptly.
Bailey was arrested on the injury to a child charge for the alleged abuse of her surviving infant. She was released after posting bond of $250.
The Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy and released a report on Oct. 4 in which authorities determined that the victim’s manner of death was homicide, and the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, KVUE reported. The report also reportedly determined that the victim’s injuries were “highly suggestive” of suffering previous head trauma.
Newly released court document obtained by the station also reportedly show that in the days before her child’s death, Bailey performed an internet search for “how do I know if my baby has been hurt or shooken.”
Bailey is being held in the Travis County Jail on $600,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 14.
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