Tacoma Mother Charged with Murder After Stabbing Teen Daughter's Newborn

A Washington state woman faces second-degree murder charges after prosecutors say she killed her 14-year-old daughter's newborn son. The baby arrived at a Tacoma hospital dead, carried in a cardboard box.

Tacoma Mother Charged with Murder Over Stabbing Death of Daughter's Newborn

A 31-year-old Washington state woman has been charged with second-degree murder after prosecutors allege she stabbed her teenage daughter's newborn baby to death, Law & Crime reports.

Dayjanay Thomas, of Tacoma, Washington, faces charges of second-degree murder and criminal mistreatment following the February death of her 14-year-old daughter's newborn son. The infant was brought to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma inside a cardboard box, already dead.

According to court documents obtained by the Tacoma News Tribune, the teenager gave birth to a boy at the family home in the early morning hours of Feb. 10, around 5 a.m. The teen told her mother immediately after the birth. She said she had not known she was pregnant; Thomas later told police she had also been unaware of the pregnancy.

Rather than call 911, Thomas allegedly instructed her daughter to wait for a friend to drive them to the hospital. No friend arrived.

Hours Passed Before Anyone Sought Help

Thomas' landlord — who owned the house where Thomas rented two upstairs rooms — arrived at the apartment around 11:30 a.m. that same day. According to court documents, the landlord had previously noticed that the teenager appeared to be pregnant, but said Thomas "did not take the comment seriously" when she raised it.

The two adults continued talking inside the home for several more hours. It was not until approximately 6:45 p.m. — more than 13 hours after the birth — that they drove to the hospital. The landlord provided the ride, unaware that her passenger, the teen, was carrying a dead infant in a cardboard box. Thomas allegedly told the landlord the box was there in case the girl became sick to her stomach during the drive.

Autopsy Reveals Eight Stab Wounds

Medical staff at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital alerted police after the group arrived. An autopsy subsequently determined that the newborn had been alive at birth and died from eight sharp-force injuries. He also sustained multiple blunt-force injuries to his head. The manner of death was ruled homicide.

Detectives who searched Thomas' apartment found blood on the floor leading from the teen's bedroom to a hallway bathroom. Inside the bathroom, police recovered blood, clothes soaking in a sink, a serrated knife, and a pair of scissors.

Investigators also found text messages exchanged between Thomas and her daughter on the day of the birth. One message allegedly sent by Thomas read: "Okay you have to let them know that [the landlord] and I didn't know and just let them know you didn't know what was going on with your body."

Charges Escalated After Further Investigation

Thomas was initially arrested on Feb. 23 and charged with criminal mistreatment, related to her alleged failure to seek timely medical care for her daughter following the birth. Prosecutors added the second-degree murder charge on Aug. 20, while Thomas remained in custody, after a more extensive investigation into the infant's death.

Neither the teenager nor the landlord has been charged in connection with the case.

Thomas is currently held at Pierce County Jail on a $500,000 cash bond. A judge ordered her to have no contact with her daughter. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 1.

Source: Law & Crime