On November 15, 2022, 1-year-old Mark Smith died from homicidal asphyxiation while residing with his mother, Carlisha Anderson (age 25), at an In-Town Suites hotel in Orange County, Florida. According to the mother's account, after returning home from work feeling ill, she lay down in bed next to the child; she later found him face-down among pillows, wheezing and unable to breathe. She attempted CPR but was unsuccessful, with beige-colored liquid coming from the child's nose and mouth. She called 911 and told the dispatcher she believed she had killed her baby by suffocation. She then stabbed herself multiple times with a knife and had to be tasered and restrained by law enforcement. The mother tested positive for Oxycodone and Fentanyl three days after the incident. The autopsy revealed petechial hemorrhages in multiple locations consistent with mechanical asphyxiation, and the medical examiner ruled the cause of death as homicidal asphyxiation with a manner of death of homicide. Carlisha Anderson was arrested on December 8, 2022, and charged with Second Degree Murder, Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child, Aggravated Child Neglect, and aggravated assault charges related to her altercation with first responders.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The fatality report states the cause of death is "Homicidal Asphyxiation" and manner of death is "Homicide." The autopsy findings include petechial hemorrhages in multiple locations (periorbital, conjunctival, oral mucosa, laryngeal mucosa), which are forensic indicators of mechanical asphyxiation. The mother told the 911 dispatcher she "killed her baby by suffocation" (per the news article), and the fatality report states the mother "called 911 and stated she had suffocated the child." The mother was charged with Second Degree Murder and Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child. Suffocation/asphyxiation constitutes an inflicted injury consistent with the examples in the question (e.g., choked).
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
The fatality report describes an attempted murder-suicide: the mother killed the child (homicidal asphyxiation) and then immediately attempted to kill herself. The report states she "went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and stabbed herself in the gut," then "stabbed herself in the right leg and tried to slice her neck." She stated "she wanted to hurt herself because the child was dead." While the suicide was not completed (the mother survived), the sequence of killing the child followed by an immediate, serious suicide attempt constitutes a murder-suicide incident.
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
The fatality report describes the mother and 1-year-old child sleeping in the same bed with pillows, stating "the child was in the middle of the pillows, facing them (the pillows)" and "her position may have caused the pillows to push on the child's face." The news article corroborates this: "The affidavit for the arrest warrant indicates mother and son slept in the same bed with many pillows. She suggested too many pillows led to tragedy. The affidavit for the arrest warrant said a reasonable person would know that 'placing a child's face into a pillow or bedding would cause the child to stop breathing.'" Co-sleeping with a 1-year-old in a bed with multiple pillows is an unsafe sleeping environment.
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The fatality report identifies the mother, Carlisha Anderson, as the person responsible for the child's death. The DCF investigation closed with "Verified Findings of Death and Asphyxiation as to Mark Smith, with the mother Carlisha Anderson as the caregiver responsible." She was arrested and charged with Second Degree Murder and Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child. The cause of death was homicidal asphyxiation, and the mother told 911 she "had suffocated the child."
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The fatality report states: "On December 8, 2022, Carlisha Anderson was arrested and charged with Second Degree Murder, Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child, Aggravated Child Neglect, Aggravated Assault on a Firefighter, and Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer." The news article confirms she "is now in jail on no bond based on the murder charge."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
The fatality report states the family "resided at In-Town Suites," which is an extended-stay hotel. The news article refers to the location as "a hotel on Major Boulevard." This indicates the family was living in a hotel at the time of the child's death.
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report describes the mother engaging in severe self-harm immediately after the child's death: she "went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and stabbed herself in the gut," "stabbed herself in the right leg and tried to slice her neck," and "stated that she wanted to hurt herself because the child was dead." While no formal mental health diagnosis is mentioned, the extreme self-harm behavior involving multiple self-inflicted stab wounds and an apparent suicide attempt constitutes a significant mental health event that references the parent's psychological state.
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report states: "The mother consented to a drug screen on November 18, 2022, the mother tested positive for Oxycodone and Fentanyl. The father consented to a drug screen and tested positive for alcohol." Both parents tested positive for substances.
Notable Details
The fatality report notes that the mother tested positive for Oxycodone and Fentanyl three days after the child's death, which are potent opioids known to cause sedation and reduced awareness. This is significant because the child died from asphyxiation while co-sleeping with the mother in a bed with multiple pillows. The mother's opioid use may have been a contributing factor to her inability to notice or respond to the child's distress while in bed. Additionally, the family was living at In-Town Suites, an extended-stay hotel, suggesting possible housing instability. The mother's extreme self-harm response (multiple stab wounds, attempted neck slicing) required officers to taser her twice and resulted in additional charges of Aggravated Assault on a Firefighter and Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer, complicating the scene and delaying first responders' ability to reach the child.
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