A 3-year-old boy died on March 14 after being violently shaken by his babysitter, Shawn Delancey, 35, at Delancey's Mount Vernon residence. According to the arrest affidavit, the child was "upset and acting out" and "flailing around in the bathtub" when Delancey admitted to grabbing the child by his upper chest and shaking him while yelling at him to calm down. The child became unresponsive shortly after and died from the resulting injuries. Delancey was arrested on April 11 and charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, and abuse/cruelty to a minor, and is being held on a $500,000 cash bond.
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 news article states that Delancey admitted to "grabbing the child by his upper chest" and shaking him while yelling at the 3-year-old to calm down. The article also states that "Delancey allegedly shook the child violently in an attempt to calm the 3-year-old down," and that the injuries from the shaking resulted in the child's death.
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?
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?
The news article explicitly describes shaking as the mechanism of injury that caused the child's death. It states Delancey "shook the child violently" and admitted to "grabbing the child by his upper chest" and shaking him. The article further states that "The injuries that resulted from Delancey allegedly shaking the child in a violent manner resulted in the child's death." This is consistent with shaken baby / abusive head trauma.
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of 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?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
The news article explicitly states that Delancey was "allegedly killing the child while babysitting him at his Mount Vernon residence." This clearly identifies Delancey as a babysitter.
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 news article states that "Shawn Delancey, 35, of Mount Vernon, was arrested on April 11" and was "charged with second-degree murder, a Class B felony... first-degree manslaughter, a Class C felony... and abuse, cruelty to a minor, a Class 3 felony."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
These fields were populated by an AI model and may contain inaccuracies. Review the links and PDFs provided for verification before citing. Contact [email protected] to report any inaccuracies where corrections are needed.