A Washington state woman is facing a murder charge after investigators say she killed her teenage daughter’s newborn baby earlier this year.
Dayjanay Thomas, 31, has been charged with second-degree murder and criminal mistreatment, months after she and her 14-year-old daughter reportedly arrived at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma with an infant who had already died.
Court records obtained by the Tacoma News Tribune show the teen gave birth to a baby boy at home on Feb. 10. She has said she didn’t realize she was pregnant, and Thomas told investigators she also had no idea her daughter was expecting.
According to those records, the girl delivered the baby around 5 a.m. and told her mother right away. Instead of calling 911, Thomas allegedly said they’d need to wait until a friend could give them a ride to the hospital.
Later that morning, around 11:30, the family’s landlord — who rented Thomas two rooms upstairs in her home — stopped by, and Thomas told her the teen had just given birth. The landlord later told police she’d suspected the girl was pregnant and had even mentioned it to Thomas at one point, but said Thomas brushed the comment off.
The two women reportedly spent several more hours in the apartment before finally leaving for the hospital around 6:45 that evening. The landlord drove them, with the teen bringing along a cardboard box that Thomas allegedly explained was there in case her daughter got sick during the ride.
Police say the landlord had no idea at the time that the girl had already delivered a baby.
Inside that box, according to court documents, was the body of the newborn. An autopsy determined the baby had been born alive and died from eight sharp-force wounds, along with several blunt-force injuries to his head. His death was ruled a homicide.
Once hospital staff notified authorities, detectives searched Thomas’ apartment and reportedly found a blood trail running from the teen’s bedroom to a hallway bathroom. Investigators say they also discovered blood in the bathroom itself, clothing left soaking in the sink, a serrated knife and a pair of scissors.
Text messages between Thomas and her daughter from that day were also recovered. In one, Thomas allegedly wrote, “Okay you have to let them know that [the landlord] and I didn’t know and just let them know you didn’t know what was going on with your body.”
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Thomas was first arrested on Feb. 23 and charged with criminal mistreatment for allegedly failing to get her daughter medical help after the birth. Once the investigation into the infant’s death concluded, prosecutors tacked on the second-degree murder charge on Aug. 20, while Thomas was already behind bars.
Neither the teenager nor the landlord has faced any charges tied to the baby’s death.
Thomas remains held at the Pierce County Jail on $500,000 cash bail and has been barred from contacting her daughter. She’s due back in court on Oct. 1.
