The mom was on a reality show when she became a first-time mom at age 55. This poor baby had already suffered significant trauma on her third day of life when the mom "dropped the baby carrier" . The mom was under investigation by child protective services at the time of the baby's death.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/pinellas-sheriff-to-release-details-about-killing-of-2-week-old-infant/2289143

Unbelievable. Wonder if she was trying to get another reality show gig, too.

The details are incredibly atrocious, first, she has two kids with apparent disorders (due to her failure as a parent), then she goes into a cell phone place for repairs, stays 30 minutes, comes out, and instead of taking her 13 day old child to the ER, she goes to a car rental place.

What a fucking nightmare and those kids are going to be so fucked. At least the 6 year old is. Maybe the 3 year old has a chance to avoid the nightmare that is this woman.

When Steele returned to the van, her 6-year-old son told her that the baby was in distress. However, Steele drove to a car rental business where Gualtieri said she went inside for 30 minutes to renew the contract for the van she was renting.
Later, the son said again the baby was in distress. Gualtieri said Steele called a neighbor, who is a nurse. The nurse went to the motel and checked the baby, who appeared to be dead. The nurse then called 911.
Paramedics responded and tried to revive the baby. The sheriff said Steele did not appear to be concerned about her daughter’s condition. While rescue crews were trying to revive her infant daughter, Steele was putting groceries away in the kitchen.
“She was very aloof about it,” said Gualtieri.
The sheriff said that an autopsy showed the baby girl suffered severe head trauma and had multiple skull fractures.

This takes the cake. What the fuck.

Who leaves a 6 yr old, 3 yr old, and new born on a car?

In August in Tampa?

What the heck was going on that the 6-year old beat the baby like that? Unless a natural born psychopath, I wonder about his life.

The previous reports of neglect?

Damn. Just Damn.

If they were heavy ADD* and didn't have good parenting, then they could not understand their actions. A 13 day old child is extremely fragile. All it takes is swinging it around and it'll get hurt very badly.

I can see the 6 year old being angry at the crying baby and tossing it about to shut it up not realizing that he was killing it. Not even understanding the concept of murder, even.

*read my sentence carefully, I know ADD is largely genetic but if you don't have a good parent and and ADD child, it will present itself far worse. If a woman would leave her children in a hot car, locked doors and windows, for 30 minutes, you know she's not a good parent by any means.

Could multiple fertility measures taken to produce a child; older father's frozen sperm, extreme measures to produce a pregnancy in a post-menopausal woman; combine to create damage of some kind is the 6 year old, as a fetus, that would be a contributing factor in his actions?

I doubt anyone would want to ever entertain that, since it implies that a human could have damaged emotional capacity from the start.

But human beings can "have damaged emotional capacity from the start." We are more than our genes, but to ignore genetics is foolish. Lots of psychological traits are inherited, and those might include diminished/different emotional capacity.

But in my humble opinion the parenting was the most contributing factor. First, her husband died 5 years ago, when the kid was 1, meaning that she's gone it alone all these years (why did she have the 3 year old at that age? What the ever living fuck?).

Adding, ADD/ADHD (attention deficit disorder) is related directly to pregnancy complications. Her very act of inducing pregnancy at her age is by definition a complication. So I suspect all her children suffer from ADD/ADHD. The few articles I can find say her children have "behavioral issues." They don't expound further, but it seems reasonable to assume this.

A 6 year old with ADD/ADHD is not going to think about the consequences of taking his sister out of her car seat and swinging her around until she shuts up. He probably does that to his toys daily, maybe even hits his 3 year old sibbling on a daily basis with some object.

But yeah, I feel for the 6 year old, I feel as though he's out of reach for psychologists (especially since he's old enough to go to the eventual trial, he'll get this event burned in no doubt). The 3 year old may be salvageable.

Artificial insemination or intra-uterine insemunation involves processing sperm. Anytime you throw extra manipulation into the equation, you increase the risk of having genetic problems.

Also, there is such a thing as fathers being too old, just like mothers, with respect to sperm and ovum.

Three, I'd hate to be having postpartum depression at her age.

Having babies at their ages was a terrible idea, IMO.

Having kids at that age is not a good idea, and IMO, unfair to the kids.

Heh, she is eight years younger than my mom who has no sons younger than 35... if my mom came to me 8 years ago and said she wanted to get preggers I would've told she was crazy.

... as part of her new Reality TV show, starring Mom, her 30-something-year-old kids, and her brand new baby?

That would make sense, right?

Just plain awful.

of whatever doctor saw her through three pregnancies? Where did she get funds for it? My wonderful grandson and his wife have spent thousands of dollars and years trying for a pregnancy.

three times after the age of 55 when she was living in a motel?

(Though your point still stands even without that detail.)

http://koin.com/ap/mother-charged-after-son-beats-newborn-sister-to-death/

*snip*


Steele was already being scrutinized by child protection investigators, Gulatieri said. Just three days after the girl was born, an accidental fire forced the family to stay in a hotel July 29, he said. When the fire alarm went off, Steele told deputies she put the baby in the car carrier but tripped going down the stairs and the baby tumbled out, striking her head. The baby was diagnosed with a minor brain bleed and stayed for two nights in the hospital, according to Gulatieri. A report was made to the child abuse hotline.

*snip*

as well. There is the whole thing nowadays about not substituting your judgement for theirs, you don't know what's best in their lives, etc., but some times enough is just enough.

I think she killed the kid herself.

I am a little skeptical that a 6 year old could do the kind of damage that baby sustained.

EDIT: I'm betting good forensics will bear this out.