A 28-year-old woman from Wisconsin, Shyanna Brothers, has been charged with concealing the corpse of a child after police discovered the decomposing body of her 10-month-old daughter in a cardboard box in her apartment. According to court documents, Brothers told police she had no control over her daughter’s death and was forced to harm her child and hide the body.
The police were alerted to the situation by an individual who reported a foul smell emanating from the apartment. Initially, Brothers attributed the odor to old food in her apartment. However, when confronted with reports that she had told others her baby was gone, she confirmed the loss, attributing her statement to personal difficulties she was experiencing.
Upon gaining permission to search the apartment, police were led to a locked bedroom where Brothers claimed her child’s body was hidden. She alleged that a man with whom she was in a domestic violence relationship had killed the child and forced her to hide the body. The police detected a strong odor of decomposition from the room, which was found to contain a large cardboard box with the deceased infant inside.
The autopsy report revealed that the infant had suffered a skull fracture consistent with blunt force trauma. Brothers claimed that her boyfriend had killed the child and threatened to harm her if she reported the incident to the authorities. However, police found no evidence of a male living at the residence.
The apartment was sparsely furnished, with an air mattress and a television in one bedroom and the cardboard box containing the child’s body in another. The child was in an advanced state of decomposition and unrecognizable, with bodily fluids soaking the bottom of the box.
During her police interview, Brothers made a series of bizarre statements. She claimed she was raped and forced to harm her child and hide the body. She also alleged that people were frequently entering her apartment to rape and steal from her. Despite the grim circumstances, Brothers expressed confidence in her eventual exoneration.
Throughout the interview, Brothers repeatedly covered her mouth, as if trying to stop herself from speaking further. She addressed the detectives directly, insisting that she did not kill her child and accusing them of trying to make her appear insane.
Brothers is currently being held on a $50,000 bond and is awaiting the results of a mental health evaluation due next month.