A Florida woman is facing multiple charges after allegedly taking her children to a pool in an attempt to drown them — while recording the moments on Instagram.
Shaniece Willingham, 24, was rescued along with her three children — ages 3, 2, and 8 months — by family members who intervened during the Wednesday, Sept. 24, incident in Valrico, Fla., according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to the community pool around 1:28 a.m. and found Willingham on the deck. The children had been taken to a nearby home for safety after family members stepped in, the statement said.
According to a motion for pretrial detention reviewed by PEOPLE, the incident began with a phone argument between Willingham and her children’s father, Theophilus Williams, while her mother attempted to intervene.
The motion, obtained and shared online by Law & Crime, notes that Willingham and her mother, Sherrisse McCray, argued after McCray asked her to leave. Willingham then called Williams, asking him to pick up the children, saying she would “figure out options” for herself. Williams reportedly responded that he “doesn’t give a f— and he ‘ain’t doing anything.’”
Authorities allege that Willingham then took her children to the community pool while posting on Instagram about her feelings of helplessness regarding their care. She reportedly described it as her “last goodbye” and expressed that she “could not take it anymore,” telling viewers that she loved her kids but believed they would be safer with God.
Once at the pool, Willingham allegedly FaceTimed her mother to show her location and tied herself and the children together with a rope to remain “bound together,” according to the motion. When a vehicle approached, she reportedly pushed all three children and herself into the pool in an attempt to kill them.
Family members who arrived after seeing the video rescued the children, who sustained significant injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
Willingham has been charged with three counts of first-degree premeditated attempted murder, according to authorities.
“This incident is nothing short of horrific,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “The fear and betrayal these innocent children must have felt at the hands of the one person meant to love, care for, and protect them is unimaginable. This decision was not a cry for help; it was a deliberate act of cruelty. Mental health challenges may provide an explanation, but there is no excuse, no justification. These children were failed by their own mother, and it is only by the quick actions of their family that they are alive today.”
Court records do not indicate any plea, but Willingham is scheduled for a pretrial detention hearing next week.
