Parents charged in suspected Iowa shaken baby death, DCI says

A northwest Iowa couple whose 6-week-old son died of what authorities said were injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome face murder and child endangerment charges.

Their arrests come nearly a year after Sydney Schneidermann of Little Rock took the baby, identified as WS, to the Avera Merrill Pioneer Hospital emergency room in Rock Rapids on Sept. 10, 2023, according to an account provided by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

The DCI in a criminal complaint said she described "a sudden episode where WS went limp in the arms of WS's father, Brenan Schneidermann, at their residence."

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The hospital noted that the child had "unexplained, linear red marks on his jawline," but that he was released and "taken home with instructions to follow up with their primary care provider the next day."

That night, the child did not suck on a pacifier and did not eat for 14 hours, according to the complaint. Sydney Schneidermann made a doctor's appointment for the next day.

However, before the appointment, Schneidermann was advised to bring the child back to the ER, the DCI said. When she arrived with the child, the complaint said, he already was in critical condition.

"His pupils were dilated, he needed assistance breathing, and his heart rate was dropping. The jawline marks documented the night before were now obvious bruises," the complaint said.

The child was stabilized, then airlifted to an Avera hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and transferred to Sanford Children's Hospital, also in Sioux Falls.

DCI: Mother had researched shaken baby syndrome

Doctors at the children's hospital found the child had "bruising on his neck consistent with child abuse, a subdermal hematoma, and retinal hemorrhages," the complaint said. Retinal hemorrhages often are associated with shaken baby syndrome, the complaint said. It noted the child also had "an extremely large amount of brain swelling."

He died of his injuries on Sept. 25. An autopsy conducted by the Iowa state medical examiner determined the cause of death was "abusive head trauma with another significant finding of healing rib fractures," the complaint said.

It said that three days before Schneidermann brought the child to the ER, she had researched shaken baby syndrome on her phone.

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The couple was arrested Saturday, according to a DCI news release. Both were being held Saturday evening at the Lyon County Jail.

Schneidermann was charged with first-degree murder and one count of child endangerment resulting in death. Her husband was charged with child endangerment resulting in death.

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Parents charged in suspected Iowa shaken baby death, DCI says