“What—I can’t do that?” the mother allegedly said after confessing to the abuse, according to police.
A Texas mother is facing a felony charge after allegedly slamming her young daughter’s head into a wall during a fit of anger—then telling the child and her siblings to lie about what happened, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime.
Katherine Crosby, 39, was arrested earlier this month and charged with one count of felony injury to a child. She was booked into the Tyler County Jail on July 9 and released the following day after posting $125,000 bond, court records show.
The allegations came to light on June 6 when a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigator noticed that one of Crosby’s daughters, whose age was redacted but is under 14, had a black eye that was both bruised and swollen.
When asked about the injury, the girl reportedly told the investigator: “When someone in their house gets angry, they get punched, their nose gets broken, they get black eyes, or their head gets banged into the door.”
The child directly identified her mother as the abuser.
“[She] stated, ‘My mom did this to me and it hurt really bad,’” the affidavit states. The victim said she had been placed in a corner as punishment, and while she was standing there, Crosby “walked over, grabbed the back of her head by her ponytail, and slammed her head into the wall,” causing the injury. The girl reiterated that it “hurt really bad,” and also noted that her mother did not provide her with medical care or even ice for the swelling.
The assault allegedly occurred on June 5 and, according to the child, was not the first time she had been subjected to similar violence.
‘Yes, I did it,’ mom allegedly told investigators
During a subsequent interview with law enforcement, Crosby allegedly admitted to attacking her daughter.
“Crosby admitted to banging [the victim’s] head into the wall,” the affidavit says. “Crosby stated, ‘Yes, I did it,’ and even demonstrated how she did it—matching her daughter’s description. She then asked, ‘What—I cannot do that?’”
The investigator informed her that such conduct was considered child abuse and is illegal.
On June 26, the victim and her siblings were interviewed at the Garth House for Forensic Interviews. Before the sessions began, the children reportedly revealed that Crosby had instructed them to lie and deny any abuse.
According to police, the victim said her mother told her to say she “fell on a brick,” and that’s how she sustained the black eye. The sisters corroborated the story, saying Crosby had coached them to back up the fabricated claim.
“Wait—was I supposed to say that I tripped on a brick? Because that is what Mom said to say,” the victim reportedly asked during the interview.
Attempt to recant
The next day, during a CPS meeting, Crosby allegedly tried to walk back her earlier confession and requested that the children be questioned again in her presence.
“I want you to ask the girls again, in front of me, what happened to [the victim’s] eye, because they will all tell you that I did not do anything,” she allegedly said, according to the affidavit.
Crosby’s next court date was not immediately available.
