A tragic sequence of events in Phoenix has led to the arrest of 26-year-old Wanda Jean Johnson, who faces charges of murder and child abuse in connection to the death of her 3-month-old daughter. Reported by FOX 10 Phoenix, the mother is accused of inflicting fatal injuries on her infant in an attempt to crack the child's back, a practice she demonstrated on a doll to investigators.
The case began on March 11, when Johnson claims to have found her daughter seizing. Court documents obtained by Arizona’s Family, note that instead of seeking immediate medical attention, she asked her brother to look up symptoms online and, believing her child was cold, wrapped her in a blanket and returned to bed. Johnson's roommate later recorded a second seizure on a phone before the child was finally taken to Banner Estrella Hospital and then airlifted to Phoenix Children's Hospital in critical condition.
Medical staff at Phoenix Children’s Hospital identified numerous injuries on the infant, including a brain bleed, multiple fractured ribs, and a laceration to the liver. These findings were consistent with blunt force trauma, as determined by an autopsy. Initially, Johnson denied any responsibility for her daughter's injuries but, during a follow-up interview on August 26, the narrative changed dramatically. In a statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix, Johnson admitted to performing what she believed to be a "back-cracking adjustment" on her daughter without any chiropractic training, which she acknowledged was "probably reckless."
On Monday, Johnson provided a chilling illustration to Phoenix Police, using an infant doll to show how she had attempted to crack her child's back, not once but twice, due to a failure to achieve the desired 'crack' the first time. Despite her admittance to the act, Johnson insisted she "did not mean to hurt her" and deemed it only a "possibility" that she caused the injuries, according to Arizona’s Family. Following her confession, Johnson was booked into the Maricopa County jail on counts of first-degree murder and child abuse with her bond set at $1 million cash-only.
