A Washington state mother charged in her newborn son’s death allegedly filmed a TikTok video of herself dancing to “upbeat” music in the bathroom of his hospital room while the critically injured baby fought for his life, prosecutors said in court.
Alyssa Jade Vanderbeck, 19, and the child’s father, Mark Anthony Labaco Clamor, 21, are facing felony charges in connection with the death of their 7-week-old son, who authorities say suffered abusive head trauma.
Police said the couple call 911 on March 4 to report that their baby was not breathing. The infant was rushed to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital where doctors discovered severe injuries, including brain bleeds and oxygen deprivation.
Investigators later stated in court documents, obtained by KOMO News, that on March 8 while the baby was being treated for life-threatening injuries, Vanderbeck posted a TikTok video dancing in the bathroom of her son’s hospital room. Prosecutors said in court that “upbeat” music was playing while she danced around in the video.
The baby, identified in court documents as N.C., died on March 9. A social worker alerted law enforcement to the injuries as possible abuse, and prosecutors told the court natural causes had been ruled out.
“This is not a case of SIDS,” a prosecutor said during the couple’s arraignment last week. “This was ongoing abuse of a vulnerable infant.”
Medical evaluations later found the child suffered injuries including subdural hemorrhages, retinal hemorrhaging, and brain damage – all consistent with violent shaking or blunt force trauma, according to court documents. An autopsy determined the preliminary cause of death to be homicide due to abusive head trauma.
Pierce County prosecutor allege the couple waited about an hour after noticing their son was in “significant distress” before calling 911 on March 4, contacting friends and family first.
In an interview with the Lakewood Police Department, Clamor allegedly told investigators the baby had been fussy when he tried to feed him and admitted to handling the child roughly, per the affidavit.
He said he picked the infant up in a “jerking motion” and recalled saying, “Why you crying boy?” when he saw the baby’s head “jerked back pretty hard,” according to reports. He tried to catch the child’s head and pull him to his chest, he said.
Vanderbeck also told investigators that the same day, she woke as Clamor was putting the baby down to sleep, and after she took a shower, she said she heard the baby making “grunting noises,” and said the baby appeared “unresponsive.”
She added “that she and Clamor tried to rouse N.C. by stimulating him physically, which included shaking him in a panic,” the affidavit states.
They admitted they took videos of their son and sent to family and friends, asking for advice, before calling 911. “The videos were filmed in multiple locations in their residence and showed the child in serious distress,” the affidavit states.
Police responded to the hospital on March 5 where a social worker said the baby “was not expected to survive,” and his parents had gone home,” the affidavit states.
When they returned to the hospital the next day, the parents were there, but an officer noted that they “found their demeanor to be unusual considering the gravity of the suspected offense and the condition their child was in,” according to the affidavit.
Investigators later uncovered social media activity that raised further concern, including Vanderbeck’s TikTok video from the hospital bathroom the day before he died. The most recent video on the platform shows Vanderbeck cradling her baby in a hospital bed hooked up to tubes and machines.
She wrote in the caption: “having no one who understands what im going through or how im grieving is harder than ever. losing so much all in one day. #fyp #grief.”
Vanderbeck is charged with second-degree murder and criminal mistreatment. Clamor is charged with second-degree murder and second-degree assault of a child, according to KING news outlet.
The pair were arraigned last Thursday wearing dark green anti-suicide vests and ordered not to contact each other. It’s unclear if either has legal representation.
Both Vanderbeck and Clamor are being held at the Pierce County Jail, each on a $1 million bond.
