Wisconsin woman accused of killing fiance's 3-year-old son after texting him 'I am ready to hurt kids'
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
MARINETTE, WISCONSIN: A 32-year-old Marinette mom was arrested a year after fatally assaulting her fiance's 3-year-old son alleging that the child sustained fatal injuries from a fall down the stairs.
Samantha J Wishman was arrested this week and is facing charges of first-degree reckless homicide and neglect of a child resulting in death for the incident that occurred in June 2023.
Samantha J Wishman tried to cover up her crime as an accident
As reported by Law&Crime, authorities and emergency medical responders received a call on June 15, 2023, regarding an unconscious 3-year-old at a residence on Gilbert Street in Marinette, located around 50 miles northeast of Green Bay.
Upon their arrival, the first responders discovered the boy's father administering CPR, and they immediately took over. The toddler had fallen cold and had a bluish hue to the skin. Meanwhile, Wishman purportedly informed cops present at the scene that the child had fallen down the stairs the previous night.
The boy was then transported to the hospital while the father and Wishman remained at the residence for investigation.
Descriptions depicted the father as "frantic" while Wishman appeared "more calm," assisting in managing the other children present in the household. The boy was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at the medical facility,
Detectives noted that the 3-year-old's body was very stiff and had a strong smell of decay. This contradicted Wishman's claim that she saw the boy alive and well between 10.30 and 10.45 am. The detective ruled that the smell of decay was too strong for someone who had only been dead for one hour.
The toddler suffered multiple injuries including bruises on his head and abdomen and a big lump on his forehead. His nose and hands had dried blood on them. He also had bruises on his back, chest, neck, and arms. An autopsy showed he had broken ribs and a punctured lung. The doctor who did the autopsy said the boy wouldn't have been able to eat because of his injuries.
The medical examiner concluded the boy's injuries were not from just falling down the stairs as the bruises were too severe for that. The examiner ruled that the boy was hurt on purpose, not by accident.
When Wishman was asked about the boy's injuries, she replied, "Doesn't make sense."
Wishman was booked in jail without bond and will appear in court on April 15th.
Samantha Wishman texted victim's dad that she's 'ready to hurt the kids'
During an interview with detectives, Wishman reportedly explained that on the previous evening, the victim and another child were restless and playing with her in an upstairs bedroom. While she was changing the other child between 1 and 2 am, Wishman claimed she heard the victim fall "all the way down" the 14-stair staircase.
She said that she stayed up with him and gave him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before he fell asleep between 4 and 5 am on the morning of June 15. Wishman mentioned that she checked on the victim approximately every hour until about 8.40 am, and observed that he was moving but asleep.
It wasn’t until she noticed him not moving and brought him downstairs just before noon that she called 911. A forensic examination of Wishman’s phone revealed several messages she sent to the victim’s father that raised concerns for the police.
At 9.23 pm on June 14, she allegedly wrote, "I can’t breathe hardly and it’s even harder with the f*****g kids n nobody is going to take this serious until they walk into this house n find me passed tf out on the floor."
She sent another message around 9.40 pm that night stating, "I’m ready to hurt these mother f*****g kids nobody f*****g understands I can’t breathe so this is so much harder n now I’m having more problems breathing." Around 1 am she allegedly wrote that the victim and another sibling “r not allowed to move or get up from where tf they are until I GET UP I am not playing."
Another message at about 4.18 am reportedly read: "I hate my life sooooo much… What else can go wrong tonight… Kids weren’t listening well (you know) who wasn’t listening so I put (the victim and his sibling) upstairs as I’m changing (the victim’s sibling) here comes (the victim) down the f—– stairs so his one side of his face probably will b bruised when he wakes up. Side of his head was the start of one n under his eye that’s what I noticed. He wasn’t bruised on his belly or back but I will b checking in the morning. I did keep him up later then the rest bc of that n I been keeping an eye on him."