A 28-year-old Wisconsin woman, Shyanna Brothers, is accused of living with the decomposing body of her 10-month-old daughter. Allegedly, she claimed that she was “forced to hurt my kid and hide the body.”
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According to a criminal complaint, the incident occurred on Wednesday, August 13. At 1:01 a.m., City of Milwaukee police officers responded to a N. 27th Street apartment following a weapon complaint.
The caller, as per the complaint, told authorities that “it smelled like someone died” inside the Milwaukee apartment. Additionally, a woman on scene, later identified as Brothers, allegedly said, “The baby is gone.”
Upon arrival, the Brothers initially told the officers that the smell came from “old food” inside the residence, as per the complaint. When confronted by her “baby is gone” comment, Brothers allegedly responded, “Yeah, people lose kids. I lost a child,” adding that she made the comment because she was “going through a lot.”
The complaint added that she had escaped a domestic violence relationship, saying that her partner “did a lot of sick stuff,” and “I’ll get caught for what he did to our kid.” Allegedly, Brothers clarified that the “he” was the child’s father, and that he had killed her daughter weeks ago.
Decomposing Body Found
After Brothers agreed to let the officers inside the apartment, they were met by a “strong odor of decomposition.” After gaining access to a bedroom, they found a large cardboard box on the floor, covered with “hundreds of dead flies.”
Inside the cardboard box, police found a 10-month-old girl’s body in an advanced state of decomposition.
A detective arrived at the scene and documented it. He found no furniture in the apartment, and he observed maggots on the child’s body. Additionally, the child’s body fluids were “soaking the bottom of the cardboard box.”
An autopsy found a skull fracture consistent with blunt force trauma. The manner and cause of death are pending further test results, as per the complaint.
Worrying Interviews
In an interview with a detective, Shyanna Brothers allegedly said, “I was told I wasn’t in trouble” and “I had no control over how she died.” Then, she allegedly said that she had been raped in the apartment and “forced to hurt my kid and hide the body.”
During the initial interview and a second one on August 14, Brothers allegedly struggled to answer the detectives’ questions, apparently struggling to comprehend the situation and issuing worrying statements.
“My name is Ahsley, I’m the greatest girl in the world,” Brothers allegedly said at one point. She followed with, “My name is Brenda. I killed your kid because my name is Brendan,” and “My name is Ashley, I tried to steal her face.”
As per Law & Crime, Shyanna Brothers is charged with hiding the corpse of a child. She is being held on a $50,000 and the results of a mental health evaluation are pending.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. You can also chat with a representative at thehotline.org or by texting “START” to 88788.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.