A teen mother was caught on a hospital camera trying to strangle her own child. The 17-year-old mom shoved a wool toy down her child’s throat and covering his face with a blanket before leaving his room.
A teenage mum was caught on a hidden camera stuffing cotton wool from a soft toy down her child’s throat and attempting to smother her.
Chevonne Youngineer was under suspicion of harming her child because she said her child frequently stopped breathing or starts chocking.
When the 17 year old brought her daughter to hospital after another near death incident she was placed in a room with a hidden CCTV camera.
Police said while in the room with her baby daughter Youngineer summoned nurses to say she wasn’t breathing.
Staff at the MUSC Children’s Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina, rushed into the room to find the baby struggling for breath.
They managed to remove pieces of cotton wool by hitting her back forcing her to vomit it back up.
Hospital workers reviewed the surveillance footage and watched as moments before she called the nurses, Younginer tore cotton from a stuffed toy bear and shoved the stuffing into her baby’s mouth.
She also covered the baby’s baby’s face with a blanket.
After several seconds Youngineer went back and pushed the stuffing further into her baby’s mouth and walked away.
The CCTV tape, which has not yet been released, shows the child struggling for breath, according to police and hospital officials.
Police were called and Youngineer arrested and charged with unlawful conduct towards a child.
While in custody the teenage mum was left alone briefly and a surveillance camera in her interview room captured her looking around to make sure no one was watching before getting on the floor and kicking a chair to make it look like she had fainted.
MUSC officials said the baby, whose age has not been revealed, was under video surveillance because the child had suffered from ‘numerous, life-threatening episodes.’
During her police interview Youngineer said she was proud of herself for having saved her daughter’s life on numerous occasions. She said she had learnt CPR and once spent 40 minutes reviving her daughter.
She also said she had saved the baby’s life twice while in hospital.
After being charged Youngineer was released on $10,000 bond while her child was placed in protective custody with social workers.
