SHAMOKIN, NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A mother is facing homicide charges after police say she shook her 6-month-old child, leading to the infant’s death.
According to the Shamokin Police Department, on September 17 officers responded to Shamokin Hospital after being told a child was in critical condition and had been airlifted to Geisinger Medical Center, in Danville.
Officers spoke with hospital officials, who said the mother, Krystal Semerod, 38, of Sunbury, told them the incident may have taken place on Race Street in Shamokin.
Investigators said they issued a search warrant on the Race Street home and discovered six people inside, drug paraphernalia, and controlled substances.
One person inside the house told officers, that Semerod and the infant were sleeping in his bed on September 16 into the 17. The witness told police he was woken up by Semerod saying the baby was not breathing. Semerod did not call 911, but instead, borrowed the witness’s car and drove the child to Geisinger in Shamokin, as stated in the affidavit.
During the investigation, investigators spoke to a Geisinger Medical Center doctor who told them tests were being performed on the infant, but there was no brain activity, according to court documents. The doctor allegedly told police one of the tests performed on the child confirmed that it was shaken baby syndrome.
Semerod was arrested and taken to Northumberland County Jail on a $200,000 cash bail. She has been charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of children.
