Honk News (Baton Rogue, LA) – A babysitter in Louisiana has been arrested for the tragic death of a 3-month-old infant, who was left in her care for only three hours. Upon returning home, the mother discovered her son unresponsive and “limp,” having sustained multiple skull fractures and a severe brain injury, according to law enforcement officials.
“I’ve been knowing this girl for a minute, and I couldn’t believe it,” the mother, Symone Anderson, told local NBC affiliate WSFA. “You smiled in my face, and you killed my baby behind my back,” the grieving mother said.
On January 22, Shirley L. Sawyer, 40, from Lake Charles, was requested by Anderson to look after her son, Kairo Anderson, as reported by the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office. Anderson recounts that upon returning home, she initially believed Kairo was asleep, only to discover he was, in fact, unconscious.
“The mother advised when she arrived at Sawyer’s residence, she believed the baby to be asleep, but a short time later discovered the child was limp and unresponsive, at which time she immediately transported the baby to the hospital,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a press release Tuesday. “After further investigation, on February 3, detectives issued a warrant for Sawyer’s arrest.”
In the course of their inquiry, authorities reported that they spoke with hospital staff who indicated that Kairo had sustained injuries indicative of “trauma” and an assault.
“Detectives learned the baby sustained a massive brain bleed and multiple skull fractures, which are believed to be consistent with trauma,” the sheriff’s office said. “The baby was airlifted to a hospital out of town where he later died from his injuries.”
Sawyer was apprehended on Tuesday and subsequently processed at the Calcasieu Correctional Center, facing a charge of first-degree murder. She continued to be incarcerated on Thursday, facing a bond set at $2.5 million.