AUSTIN, Texas — Months after being arrested in connection with the death of her infant daughter, an Austin mother now faces a capital murder charge.
Brittney Bailey was arrested for felony injury to a child following an investigation into the death of her 3-month-old daughter.
New court documents say on March 10, Bailey was washing her hands after changing her daughter's diapers when the baby rolled off the bed and began to vomit. Bailey allegedly gave her daughter a small amount of a children's pain reliever when the baby became unresponsive.
The baby was taken to the hospital for her injuries and died five days later.
Initially, Bailey allegedly blamed the injuries on her 17-month-old daughter, saying she saw her older daughter playing rough with the infant and throwing a cellphone at her. However, court documents say a medical team reviewed the infant's injuries and said they would not coincide with a healthy infant or would be the result of normal handling.
The new court documents also accuse Bailey of looking up "how do I know if my baby has been hurt or shooken" on Google days before the incident and her daughter's death. Doctors told police that the baby's injuries showed multiple characteristics of a traumatic head injury and were "highly suggestive" of prior head trauma.
On Oct. 4, the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office determined the cause of death as "homicide" due to "blunt head trauma."
During an interview with police on March 21, Bailey continued to claim her 17-month-old daughter was responsible for the injuries to her deceased infant. When confronted by police that her statement did not match the nature of the injuries, she nodded her head in agreement before requesting to use the restroom. Bailey then allegedly left the officers and did not finish the interview.
Bailey remains in Travis County Jail on two charges totaling a $600,000 bond.