A Florida mother is behind bars after authorities say she tried to drown her three young children in a pool — while streaming the harrowing scene live on Instagram.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, 24-year-old Shaniece Willingham brought her kids, ages 3, 2, and 8 months, to a community pool in Valrico in the early hours of September 24. Investigators say she tied herself and her children together with a rope before pushing them all into the water.
Family members, who had seen her disturbing livestream, rushed to the pool and managed to rescue the children in time. Deputies arrived minutes later and found Willingham on the pool deck while the children were taken to a nearby home. The sheriff’s office confirmed the children suffered significant injuries but survived.
Court documents reveal that earlier that night, Willingham argued with her children’s father, Theophilus Williams, over the phone. After her mother tried to intervene, the argument escalated. Authorities say Willingham later went on Instagram, where she said she felt hopeless, calling it her “last goodbye.” She allegedly told viewers that she loved her kids but didn’t believe anyone else could take care of them, adding they would be “safe with God.”
Sheriff Chad Chronister called the incident “nothing short of horrific,” saying, “The fear and betrayal these innocent children must have felt at the hands of the one person meant to love, care for, and protect them is unimaginable. This decision was not a cry for help; it was a deliberate act of cruelty.”
Willingham now faces three counts of first-degree premeditated attempted murder. She is scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial detention hearing next week.
The case has shaken the Valrico community, with many crediting the quick actions of family members for preventing what could have been an unimaginable tragedy.
Did she have kids just for the government payout
She’s proof the black mamba don’t care. The black mamba conquers all.