A Texas baby is dead after authorities in Lubbock say the five-month-old was punched and smothered to death by his babysitters. The infant’s mother has also been arrested in association with the violent incident. She stands accused of watching the horrifying ordeal and possibly abusing the child as well.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the Texas baby was admitted to the hospital on May 8th with multiple injuries associated with abuse. Hospital staff alerted authorities to the infant’s severe brain injuries and other signs of abuse, which ultimately led to the arrest of three people: 22-year-old Kristal Morse, 23-year-old Casey Harbison and the child’s mother, 43-year-old Tiffany Whalen. At the time of the arrests, the baby was in critical condition, and the trio were being investigated for child abuse. However, the Texas infant only survived around five days after being admitted to the hospital with horrendous injuries. Now the babysitters and the boy’s mother are charged with killing the child.
Initially, Kristal Morse and Casey Harbison told police that the entire incident was an accident. However, it was quickly revealed that the baby had been punched and smothered by the pair — who had been entrusted to care for the baby while staying with him and his mother. Morse and Harbison told authorities that the mother was present during the fatal assault. Tiffany Whalen has reportedly admitted to injuring the child as well.
To make matters more upsetting in this case, the two people who stand accused of killing the child were literally on the run from child abuse and neglect charges out of Washington State.
Chelsea Hoffman is a true crime writer with over a decade of professional writing experience. She is best known for her coverage of missing people including the tragic disappearance of Madeleine McCann as well as the heartbreaking cases of Dylan Redwine, Heather Elvis and many others.
