COLUMBIA, Md. — A Pennsylvania woman has been charged with murder and child abuse in connection with the death of her 3-year-old son in Maryland, according to Howard County Police.
Shalyne Brown, 27, was staying in Columbia, Maryland, at the time of the child’s death on November 1, 2024. Police were called to a home on Hickory Log Circle for a report of a deceased child. Upon arrival, officers found the toddler with multiple bruises, burns, and scars, and signs he had been dead for some time.
“The child’s eyes were too dry to be closed,” a detail noted in court documents, indicating an extended time since death. The boy was transported with Compassionate Care to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where an autopsy revealed death by dehydration and malnourishment, completed in March 2025.
Brown was reportedly the sole caregiver for the child and told investigators she had given him cereal and water that morning before falling back asleep. When she awoke around 1:40 p.m., she found her son slumped over and unresponsive in his highchair. She attempted to revive him by splashing water on his face, then alerted her boyfriend’s mother, who called 911.
Brown acknowledged she had previously “popped” her son with an open hand as discipline but denied any intentional abuse. She also mentioned the child may have been autistic, though he had not been formally diagnosed.
According to investigators, witnesses described Brown as a mother who “loved being a mom,” but the physical evidence and autopsy contradicted her account. After a nine-month investigation, authorities concluded the child’s death resulted from neglect and abuse.
A warrant was issued in July 2025, but Brown had left Maryland and returned to Pennsylvania. She was eventually located and extradited back to Maryland, where she is now being held without bond at the Howard County Detention Center.
Shalyne Brown is scheduled to appear in court on September 4.
