A Milwaukee mother is facing felony charges after police discovered her 10-month-old daughter’s decomposing body in a cardboard box, surrounded by flies and maggots, inside her apartment.
Shyanna Brothers, 28, is charged with moving or hiding the corpse of a child, a Class F felony that carries up to 12 and a half years in prison and a $25,000 fine, according to court records, First Alert 6 reports.
Officers were called to an apartment near North 27th Street on August 13 after neighbors reported a foul odor and heard someone say, “the baby is gone.”
Brothers initially blamed it on old food, later claiming she had escaped domestic violence and suggesting someone else had harmed the child.
But according to the criminal complaint, Brothers eventually told officers, “He has me hiding her in there,” while pointing to a locked bedroom.
Inside, police found her daughter, Rayne Taylor, in a large cardboard box in the center of the floor, surrounded by flies and maggots.
The complaint said the infant was in an advanced state of decomposition and the room’s floor was covered with dead insects.
ABC 12 reports that Assistant Medical Examiner, Dr. Jessica Lelinski, with the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, revealed a frontal-parietal skull fracture consistent with blunt force trauma, though the cause and manner of death remain pending until further testing.
The complaint also described Brothers giving conflicting and erratic statements during multiple police interviews. At first, she claimed the child’s father had killed their daughter weeks earlier and threatened her to keep quiet.
Her statements then became more disjointed, referencing being “raped” and “forced to hurt my kid.”
During a second interview, police noted her behavior had escalated further. She appeared to hold conversations with people who were not in the room, at one point yelling, “We went entirely too far, Shyanna,” and later shouting, “My name is Brendan. I killed your kid because my name is Brendan.”
A neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, said she never saw Brothers with a baby but noticed her spending long hours outside the apartment in recent weeks.
According to the neighbor, Brothers complained it was “so stinky in her house” that she could not stay inside.
Brothers appeared in court on August 17 where defense attorney Stephen Sargent raised concerns about her mental competency, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
A psychological evaluation has been ordered, with results expected next month.
Her bond was set at $50,000, and records show she remained in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail as of August 20. Police said they are not seeking additional suspects at this time.
Check back for updates.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Feature Photo via Milwaukee PD]
