Mom beat 3-year-old daughter with hanger, threatening to kill her while on FaceTime

August 22, 2024 Gloria Shaw

A Florida mother has been charged with child abuse after beating her toddler with a hanger during a FaceTime call with the child’s father, according to police.

25-year-old Aaliyah Shantrelle Herring, faces one count each of child abuse with no harm and child neglect with no great bodily harm, as recorded in Miami-Dade County court records.

The disturbing incident came to light when the girl’s father began recording the abuse on his cellphone to document the crimes, which he later shared with law enforcement. Herring was arrested on Monday after the video came to the attention of the Miami Gardens Police Department.

During an interview with investigators, Herring initially claimed she was disciplining her daughter for “throwing a remote at her.” However, she later altered her story, asserting that the video was manipulated by the child’s father with the aid of artificial intelligence and denying that she was the woman depicted in it.

The recorded footage is distressing, showing the 3-year-old child face down and crying while Herring appears to whip her with a hanger.

The video includes alarming comments from Herring, suggesting she might harm her daughter. At one point, she says, “Since you don’t want to handle your own kid, guess what? I’ll eliminate her my damn self, how about that?” She also threatens, “Still don’t want to shut up? That’s fine, y’all going to watch me kill your kid, how about that?”

Following the incident, Herring was briefly held under a mental health evaluation before her arrest under Florida’s Baker Act. The child’s father said that Herring had been pressuring him to pick up their daughter and accusing him of neglecting his parental responsibilities.

The couple is no longer together, and he previously had supervised visitation rights. This custody arrangement is likely to be reconsidered in light of the recent events.

Herring was granted pretrial release by 11th Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer and was released on bail, with a condition that prohibits her from contacting her child. She pleaded not guilty at her initial court hearing and has been appointed a public defender.

Herring’s next court appearance is scheduled for September 18.