A Michigan mother who abandoned her 1-year-old son in the Florida surf, leaving him partially buried in the wet sand with waves crashing over his head, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
In November 2024, Shamika Mitchell, 38, was convicted of unlawful desertion of a child and aggravated child abuse, according to the State’s Attorney for Florida’s 7th Circuit.
On Thursday, Jan. 30, Mitchell was sentenced to 15 years in prison and then 15 years of probation, the State’s Attorney wrote in a release.
Assistant Public Defender Rachel Brothers asked for a minimum prison sentence because Mitchell has no criminal record, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.
She also asked for Mitchell to undergo a treatment plan, saying the mother was suffering from a psychotic episode when she left her son in the surf, the News-Journal reports.
When her teenage son called 911, he said his mother had been having “episodes lately,” WESH reported.
The incident took place on November 8, 2023, while Mitchell was visiting Daytona Beach from Detroit with her children.
She had driven with her children, ages 1 to 17, in a rented minivan, where a guard at a local Greek church let her and the children spend the night inside the vehicle, police said, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.
Video surveillance showed Mitchell walking down a beach access staircase with the toddler in her arms just before midnight, the State’s Attorney said. Five minutes later, Mitchell left the beach without the child.
Just before 1 a.m., a woman spotted the child in the water, “on his hands and knees, hands buried in the sand up to his wrists and waves were crashing over his head,” she told Daytona Beach Police, the State’s Attorney said.
When officers arrived on the scene, the toddler was unresponsive, had an elevated pulse and shallow breathing.
He was transferred to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, where he was treated. He recovered from the incident.
Before the child was found in the surf, officers questioned Mitchell about his whereabouts. She told them that she left him with his father, the State’s Attorney said. But when officers called the toddler’s father, they learned the dad was in Detroit.
Mitchell will get credit for 449 days time served. She had faced up to 35 years in prison.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.