MARINETTE (NBC 26) — After a lengthy investigation, officials in Marinette County has ruled a three-year-old boy's death non-accidental and charged a Marinette woman with homicide.
- 32-year-old Samantha Wishman faces charges of first degree reckless homicide and neglecting a child resulting in death
- Police say Wishman claimed the boy fell down the stairs not long before his death
- Medical examiner said severe internal injuries not expected after a fall down stairs
- An autopsy report shows he had broken ribs, a punctured lung, a concussion and bruising on his face and body
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
A woman is now charged with causing the death of a child last summer. I'm Pari Apostolakos reporting in Marinette where police say the death was not accidental.
32-year-old Samantha Wishman is charged with first degree reckless homicide and neglecting a child resulting in death.
According to court documents, Wishman called 9-1-1 last June saying her partner's three year old son wasn't breathing. Police say the child was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Wishman, police say, told them the boy had recently fallen down a flight of stairs. An autopsy report shows he had broken ribs, a punctured lung, a concussion and bruising on his face and body.
Investigators say these injuries likely couldn't have happened from falling down the stairs.
In an interview with police, detectives asked Wishman if discipline went too far, injuring the child. In the interview she denied it and said "It just doesn't make sense ... It's just so weird."
According to records, text messages from Wishman to the boy's father shortly before his death say she's ready to "hurt ... " these kids and "I hate my life sooooo much."
The medical examiner ruled the cause of death as blunt force injuries and the manner of death homicide.
Wishman has also been charged with two counts of stalking the boy's father since the toddler died.
We have reached out to Wishman's family members for comment but have not yet heard back. In Marinette Pari Apostolakos NBC 26.
