Baltimore Mother Charged With First-Degree Child Abuse After 2-Month-Old Infant Dies
A 20-year-old Baltimore mother has been charged with first-degree child abuse resulting in death following the loss of her two-month-old son. Authorities reported that an autopsy revealed the infant suffered severe dehydration, malnutrition, and head trauma.
Authorities in Maryland have charged a 20-year-old Baltimore mother with first-degree child abuse resulting in death following the death of her two-month-old son late last summer, according to court documents cited in reporting by Law&Crime. The defendant, Taylor Williams, was taken into custody in October after homicide detectives completed an extensive investigation into the fatal incident involving her infant child, Malik Woodard.\n\nAccording to public records from the Baltimore City District Court reviewed by Law&Crime, emergency responders were called on Aug. 31, 2025, to the intersection of Loch Raven Boulevard and Gorsuch Avenue in Baltimore after receiving a call regarding an infant who was not breathing.
Emergency personnel transported the two-month-old boy to Johns Hopkins Pediatrics, where medical staff subsequently pronounced him dead.\n\nCharging documents obtained and reviewed by local CBS affiliate WJZ revealed that the child's great-grandmother attempted to intervene shortly before emergency services were summoned. The great-grandmother told law enforcement officers that she noticed the infant making unusual sounds and struggling to breathe, prompting her to check on him. When she brought her concerns to Williams, the mother allegedly instructed the great-grandmother to get out of the room.\n\nIn subsequent interviews with Baltimore Police Department detectives, Williams provided a different account of the morning's events.
According to reporting by Law&Crime, Williams told investigators that she had briefly gone to the bathroom and returned to find her baby unresponsive. She stated that she immediately sought assistance from a nearby motorist, dialed 911, and administered CPR to her son. Williams also informed detectives that the infant had no known underlying or preexisting medical conditions prior to the incident.\n\nAn autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore later contradicted initial assumptions regarding the cause of death.
Medical examiners concluded that Malik died as a result of head trauma that caused brain bleeding, along with severe dehydration and malnutrition. Following these findings, homicide detectives launched a detailed investigation that ultimately resulted in an arrest warrant being issued for Williams.\n\nOfficers with the Baltimore Police Department executed the arrest warrant on Oct. 5, taking Williams into custody in the 300 block of Kane Street in Baltimore. She was subsequently booked into the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center and released after posting bond on Oct. 8, according to court records cited by Law&Crime.
Williams is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 2 to address the charges against her.