Adorable baby boy 'beaten to death' by mom as haunting 911 audio revealed
Morgan Skye Thornton, 29, was arrested early Friday morning after authorities found the child battered and bruised in her home, officials said.
Deputies arrived at the home on the home in the small town of Athens shortly after 12:30 a.m. to find Thornton's 8-month-old son, Jonah James Thornton, with 'no signs of life.'
Thornton appeared intoxicated and was taken into custody at the scene, according to the Limestone County Sheriff's Office.
In newly released dispatch audio, an emergency responder can be heard reporting the dire situation.
'Medical call, Estate Drive East. Have an 8-month-old, possible full arrest. Confirmed: Full arrest at this time. We've got a CPR in progress. EMS on scene as well,' the harrowing audio revealed.
Local deputies and Athens-Limestone EMS personnel performed CPR and were able to regain a pulse before transporting the infant to UAB Trauma Services, AL.com reported.
However, baby Jonah coded on the way to hospital, and the ambulance diverted to Cullman Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The 29-year-old mom was charged with aggravated child abuse before the infant died from injuries sustained in the alleged assault. Her charge has since been upgraded to capital murder.
The disturbed mother appeared before a judge on Friday afternoon, but claimed she didn't understand what she was being charged with.
'I put my son to bed,' she told WAFF 48 following the hearing. 'I swaddled him and put him to bed at 7 o'clock, and then something happened… Tried to give him CPR. That's all.'
Authorities say search warrants were executed at the Athens home and a sample of Thornton's blood was taken.
Thornton remains in the Limestone County Jail without bond, pending an Aniah's Law hearing.
An Aniah's Law hearing is a judicial proceeding in Alabama where a judge reviews a defendant's background and the circumstances of their arrest to determine whether they should be granted bail while awaiting trial.
Following the tragedy, Limestone County Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin praised the work of first responders for their efforts in trying to save the infant's life.
'Please keep this family and everyone who responded to this heartbreaking scene in your prayers,' McLaughlin said.
'While the outcome is devastating, I'm incredibly proud of our deputies, firefighters, EMTs, hospital staff, and DHR workers who did absolutely everything in their power to save this innocent child,' the Sheriff added.
The baby's cause of death has not been stated by officials as his body is sent to a forensics lab for autopsy.
The post continued, addressing Thornton's court appearance, calling her niece-in-law a 'liar'
A relative of Thornton's waded into the disturbing Friday incident, calling the 'drunken' mom an 'evil, sick and twisted witch.'
'Prayers for my family please and thanks. Jonah James Thornton is my nephew's son, 1 of twins, 8 month old, beautiful sweet baby boy, whose precious life was taken by the hands of his own mother Morgan Thornton, evil, sick and twisted witch!' a post on Facebook reads.
The post continued, addressing Thornton's court appearance, calling her niece-in-law a 'liar.'
'She lied in that video! She said she put Jonah to bed at 7:00 and she didn't remember anything after that!' the post reads.
'She went in there and woke my nephew up and told him to "come look at what she did to this demon,"' the post alleged, adding that Thornton lied once more when she claimed to have given her ailing son CPR.
'She also said she tried to give him CPR and she did not, my nephew did!'
Court records reviewed by WAFF show a history of troubling behavior for the Athens mother.
In July, Thornton pleaded guilty to second-degree assault after she kicked a police officer during a separate incident.
She had also been charged with DUI, domestic violence, and disorderly conduct in connection with the same event - those charges were dropped in exchange for her plea.
She also has a 2019 conviction for public intoxication.
'No amount of alcohol could cause you to hallucinate to that degree,' the family member's Facebook post reads. 'My opinion, she was either on something my nephew didn't know about or just ate up with evil.'
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