Couple Accused of Fatally Shaking Baby, Dad Had Been ‘Playing Rough’ with Her

On Thursday, Ryan, 36, and Tanya Greenwood, 28, were charged with child abuse resulting in death in connection with their infant daughter’s death earlier this month, according to KOLN and the Lincoln Journal Star.

Per police, Ryan called 911 early in the morning on August 14, reporting that his daughter had died. According to the Lincoln Journal Star, investigator Robert Norton said Ryan told police he had been “playing rough” with the infant the day prior, with KOLN adding that the alleged behavior caused the baby to cry.

However, Ryan claimed that the infant was fine when he checked on her at 11 p.m., with Norton noting that Tanya added that their daughter was “perfectly fine.” Ryan told police, per KOLN, that he gave the child a bottle and put her to bed. Shortly after he woke up the next morning, however, Ryan claimed he found his daughter unresponsive and cold, before he tried CPR. He then allegedly called his mother and then 911.

Meanwhile, Tanya added more information while speaking with investigators, per the Lincoln Journal Star and KOLN.

According to Tanya, when she came from grocery shopping earlier in the day on August 13, she discovered her infant daughter “crying hysterically,” saying it was “the worst cry I had ever heard,” according to the outlets. Per KOLN, Tanya claimed she wanted to seek medical help for the baby, but Ryan had told her not to do so.

The autopsy for the deceased child showed that she died from a traumatic brain injury, with the injuries being consistent with shaken baby syndrome, according to KOLN and the Lincoln Journal Star.

Shaken baby syndrome — which is also known as “abusive head trauma, shaken impact syndrome, inflicted head injury or whiplash shaken infant syndrome” — is a “serious brain injury that results from forcefully shaking an infant or a toddler,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

KOLN reported that court records revealed that Tanya had searched online about shaken baby syndrome in the days after the infant’s passing. The outlet also noted that a child abuse specialist said the infant’s injuries were not an accident, and concluded they would have increased the baby’s chances of survival if they had sought medical attention.

Ryan was arrested on Tuesday, and Tanya was taken into custody on Thursday.

According to the Lincoln Journal Star, Tanya told police she saw her husband shake their daughter in July, with investigations finding text messages on her phone sent from Ryan at the time, in which he said he squeezed the infant’s leg.

While both Ryan and Tanya were charged with child abuse, police did not note in the court docs that Tanya had physically abused her child, but had put her life in danger by not seeking medical attention, per the outlet.

According to Lancaster County Jail records, Ryan and Tanya are both being held on percentage bonds. A judge set their bonds at 10% of $1.5 million, which indicates that they’d have to pay $150,000 each to be released, per the Lincoln Journal Star.

The couple is scheduled to appear in court on October 1.

If you are experiencing or witness child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911.