Teen mom in Texas, Shantaniqua Nykole Scott, caught on tape smothering baby with hand and blanket
A Texas teen mom could face life behind bars after she was caught on camera trying to smother her baby with a blanket and her hands.
Shantaniqua Nykole Scott, 18, of Waco was convicted Thursday of injury to a child.
She told authorities that she couldn’t handle the stress of being a single, unemployed mom and wanted the 4-month-old “out of my life.”
Last year, baby Rhaidyn had been flown from a Waco hospital to one in Fort Worth for a recurring, gastroesophageal reflux that caused him to stop breathing. He underwent surgery to correct the condition – when acid from the stomach backs up into the oesophagus – and was released from hospital. But two days later he was back in the emergency unit after he mysteriously stopped breathing.
Staff suspected he was the victim of abuse and set up a hidden camera on the ward where the baby was recovering.
After a doctor became suspicious of child abuse, a video monitor was placed in his room, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
What happened next horrified jurors, who saw the disturbing video earlier this week.
In the footage, Scott is seen placing a Winnie the Pooh blanket over Rhaidyn’s face for more than 20 seconds. A nurse then comes into the room, while Scott walked across the room and looks at her cell phone.
Shortly after, Scott takes her hand and puts it over the baby’s nose and mouth for a minute and 14 seconds. The baby is seen kicking his arms and legs before going limp.
