Michigan mother is sentenced to 15 years in prison for a child desertion charge

By Rachel Greco

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Michigan mother is sentenced to 15 years in prison for a child desertion charge

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – A Michigan woman was sentenced to 15 years in prison for abandoning her one-year-old child on a Florida beach.

Shamika Mitchell of Detroit was found guilty by jury in November of aggravated child abuse and unlawful desertion of a child, according to the state attorney’s office for Florida’s 7th Circuit. Her recent sentencing in the case resulted in 15 years in prison and 15 years of probation. She could have faced 35 years in prison.

The incident occurred on November 8, 2023, while Mitchell was visiting Daytona Beach. According to the state attorney’s office, a security video captured her walking down a staircase to the beach area just before midnight, holding the toddler in her arms. Five minutes later, she returned from the beach without the child.

Around 1 a.m., a woman discovered the boy at Main Street and Ocean Avenue. She reported to Daytona Beach Police that the toddler was in the water on his hands and knees, hands buried in the sand, with waves crashing over his head.

When officers arrived, the boy was unresponsive, with an elevated pulse and shallow breathing, according to the report. He recovered following treatment at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital.

Before the child was discovered, officers questioned Mitchell about his whereabouts. She stated at the time that she had left the boy with his father. But when police called the father, they discovered he was in Detroit.

The Daytona Beach Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

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Rachel Greco

Rachel Greco covers life in US County, including the communities of Grand Ledge, Delta Township, Charlotte and US Rapids. But her beat extends to local government, local school districts and community events in communities that surround Lansing. Her goal is to tell compelling stories about the area that matter to local readers.

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