Several months after she allegedly beat her 3-month-old daughter to death, searched online for information about her baby being “shook,” and blamed her 17-month-old child for her child’s fatal injuries, a 31-year-old mother in Texas faces the possibility of being executed.
Brittney Bailey was charged by Travis County authorities on Monday with one count of capital murder of a person under the age of six in relation to the death of her child.
The Austin, Texas Police Department said in a news release that the investigation into Bailey started when officers arrived at The Revl Apartments in the 5000 block of North Lamar Boulevard at 11:14 p.m. on March 10 in response to a 3-month-old child who was not breathing.
Emergency medical services and the county’s fire department were also sent to the apartment complex.
Relevant Reporting:
First responders found the victim as soon as they arrived on the scene and started administering life-saving treatments. For additional assessment and care, the victim was taken to a nearby hospital. Unfortunately, the infant passed away on March 15 due to their injuries.
Authorities stressed that the victim’s twin sister seemed to have been physically abused, but they did not disclose the cause of death.
“Detectives discovered evidence regarding the decedent’s twin sister’s non-accidental injuries during the initial investigation,” the police statement stated.
“Brittney Alisha Bailey has been arrested and charged by Child Abuse Detectives for Injury to a Child, a first-degree felony, in connection with the injuries that the deceased’s twin sister suffered.”
Bailey first reported to authorities that the victim rolled off the changing bed, hit her head, and then puked after she went to wash her hands after changing her diaper. Bailey later accused her 17-month-old child of causing the victim’s injuries.
In an interview at the police station on March 21, Bailey insisted that her toddler was the one who caused the victim’s fatal injuries, according to a report from Austin ABC affiliate KVUE.
She reportedly nodded in agreement, asked to use the restroom, and then left the station abruptly after detectives showed her evidence that such a scenario was not possible.
Because of her alleged abuse of her surviving infant, Bailey was arrested on a charge of injury to a child. She posted a $250 bond and was freed.
According to KVUE, the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and issued a report on October 4 stating that the victim’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and that homicide was the manner of death.
According to reports, the report also concluded that the victim’s injuries were “highly suggestive” of prior head trauma.
According to a recently made public court document that the station was able to obtain, Bailey searched online for “how do I know if my baby has been hurt or shooken” in the days leading up to her child’s death.
Bailey is being held on a $600,000 bond at the Travis County Jail. On November 14, she is expected to appear in court.
