Phoenix mother arrested in infant daughter's 'back-cracking' death

PHOENIX - A Phoenix mother is accused of murder and child abuse in the death of her newborn daughter.

On March 11, 2024, 26-year-old Wanda Johnson said she woke up to her 3-month-old daughter having a seizure, court documents said. Johnson claimed the seizure stopped and went back to sleep. Johnson woke up a second time to her daughter having a seizure and took the infant to a hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the child was in critical condition and was airlifted to Phoenix Children's Hospital where she died two days later.

"Medical staff at Phoenix Children[sic] Hospital advised the infant child had sustained a brain bleed, swelling of the brain, difussed cerebral adema [sic], multiple fractured ribs, laceration to the liver, and other internal injuries," court documents read.

An autopsy showed the infant suffered blunt force injuries to her head and chest.

Wanda Johnson

Johnson initially denied causing the child's injuries, but during a follow-up interview on Aug. 26, investigators say Johnson told them she squeezed her daughter and cracked her back.

"Wanda demonstrated how she cracked her infant child's back on an infant baby doll," court documents read. "Wanda stood up and held the doll with both arms wrapped around the torso, squeezed to put some pressure on the spine, and made a downward squeezing and shaking motion with the doll. Wanda stated the baby's back did not crack the first time, which prompted her to go it a second time."

Johnson was arrested and booked into jail. She is being held on a $1 million cash bond.