Wanda Johnson, Phoenix, Arizona mother charged with child abuse and first degree murder after performing back cracking adjustment that led to death of 3 month old daughter.
A Phoenix, Arizona mother is accused of intentionally killing her 3 month old daughter as she allegedly performed a ‘back-cracking adjustment’ on the infant girl.
Wanda Jean Johnson, 26, upon he arrest on Monday was booked on one count of first-degree murder and one count of child abuse AZ Family reported.
Officers responded March 11 to a report of possible child abuse at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. They learned Johnson woke up to her daughter having seizures earlier that morning before arriving at the hospital.
Failed to call emergency, numerous injuries
Johnson reportedly asked her brother to search symptoms online and wrapped the infant in a blanket ‘believing her child was cold and went back to sleep.’ Police say Johnson said the ‘seizure stopped,’ and she did not call an ambulance.
The child had another seizure, which Johnson’s roommate recorded on her phone. Johnson then took her daughter to Banner Estrella Hospital in Phoenix.
While at Banner, documents say, the child was determined to be in ‘critical condition’ and was flown to Phoenix Children’s.
Doctors and medical staff found the infant had ‘a brain bleed and swelling of the brain,’ as well as broken ribs and cuts to her liver, among other injuries. The infant girl died the morning of March 13.
An autopsy showed the child suffered multiple injuries including the following:
- Subdural hemorrhage
- Bilateral subarachnoid hemorrhage and marked cerebral edema
- Optic nerve sheath hemorrhage
- Spinal cord subdural hemorrhage
- Multiple acute rib fractures
- Pulmonary contusions of the right lung
- Liver laceration
The child was also found to have two rib fractures that had previously healed at some point during the child’s three-month life.
‘Probably reckless’
During an initial interview with officers, Johnson denied causing the injuries. Later, during a follow-up interview, Johnson admitted that the day before the seizures began, she had performed what she described as a ‘back-cracking adjustment’ on her daughter.
Court papers detailed that on Monday, Johnson reportedly spoke to police again and demonstrated, on a doll, how she ‘cracked’ her child’s back.
Johnson also told investigators she had learned to perform the ‘adjustment’ from her sister. Additionally, Johnson said this was the only time she had done this to the baby.
During police questioning, the mother admitted she didn’t have any ‘chiropractic training’ and was ‘probably reckless’ in cracking her 3 month old girl’s back.
Johnson’s sister was interviewed by investigators after the baby died. She denied seeing Johnson perform the ‘adjustment’ on the child during the March 10 visit, according to court documents.
The sister also denied teaching the technique to Johnson.
Arresting documents say investigators asked if she was responsible for the injuries to her daughter, and she responded that was a ‘possibility’ but that she didn’t do anything else to her and ‘did not mean to hurt her.’
Johnson remains held at a Maricopa County jail on a $1 million cash-only bond.
Her next court date is scheduled for Sept. 3.
