VALRICO, Fla. — A Hillsborough County mother is in custody after deputies say she tried to drown her three young children in a community pool early Tuesday morning.
At 1:28 a.m. on September 24, 2025, deputies responded to a call on Sacramento Street reporting that a woman was attempting to drown her children. When they arrived, they found 24-year-old Shaniece Willingham alone on the pool deck. The children — ages 8 months, 2 years, and 3 years — had already been taken to safety by relatives.
Investigators learned the incident began after an argument between Willingham and her mother earlier that evening. She left the home with her children in a toy wagon and later began streaming a live video on Instagram, where she declared her intent to harm herself and the children.
Family members, who saw the livestream, rushed to the pool. They told deputies they witnessed Willingham throw the children into the water before jumping in herself. Relatives immediately pulled everyone from the pool and brought the children to safety.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue evaluated the children, who showed no significant injuries. Willingham was taken into custody at the scene.
“This incident is nothing short of horrific,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “The fear and betrayal these innocent children must have felt, at the hands of the one person meant to love, care for, and protect them, is unimaginable. This decision was not a cry for help, it was a deliberate act of cruelty. Mental health challenges may provide an explanation, but there is no excuse, no justification. These children were failed by their own mother, and it is only by the quick actions of their family that they are alive today.”
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