Mom Records TikTok Dance in Dying Baby’s Hospital Room: Cops
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖A 7-week-old infant, NC, died from injuries consistent with abusive head trauma, including subdural hemorrhages and healing rib fractures.
- ❖Father Mark Clamur admitted to roughly jerking the baby when he was fussy, causing his head to jerk back hard.
- ❖Mother Alyssa Vanderbeck filmed multiple videos of the baby in severe distress, showing labored breathing and abnormal eye movements, but did not call 911 immediately.
- ❖The parents delayed calling 911 for approximately an hour after noticing the infant's critical condition, instead seeking advice from friends and a triage nurse.
- ❖Vanderbeck posted an upbeat TikTok dance video from her baby's hospital room while he was dying, which police believe has since been removed.
- ❖Both parents are charged with second-degree murder with domestic violence and vulnerable victim aggravating factors, with bail set at $1 million each.
- ❖Prosecutors may elevate charges to homicide by abuse based on evidence of healing rib fractures, indicating prior abuse.
- ❖Defense strategies could include arguing parental stress and attempting jury nullification, or challenging the scientific validity of 'shaken baby syndrome' through expert testimony.
Insights
1Alleged Abusive Head Trauma and Prior Injuries
The 7-week-old infant died from severe injuries, including subdural hemorrhages, anoxic brain injury, extensive retinal hemorrhages, and possible healing rib fractures. These findings are consistent with acceleration-deceleration injury and abusive head trauma, suggesting the baby endured multiple instances of abuse, not just a single event.
Physician's assessment: 'A seven-week old with multiple injuries found on imaging, including subdural hemorrhages, anoxic brain injury, extensive retinal hemorrhages, and possible healing rib fractures... consistent with abusive head trauma.' Medical examiner's report: 'Tentative cause of death appears to be homicide due to abusive head trauma.'
2Critical Delay in Seeking Emergency Medical Help
Despite the infant exhibiting severe distress—abnormal breathing, eye movements, and unresponsiveness—the parents waited approximately one hour before calling 911. During this time, they attempted to 'rouse' the baby by shaking him and forcing his eyes open, and sought medical advice from friends and a triage nurse instead of immediate emergency services.
Police review of text messages and videos, and interviews, indicated 'approximately an hour elapsed between when they first noticed that NC was in significant trouble and when they actually called 911.' Vanderbeck admitted to 'shaking him in a panic' and forcing his eyes open.
3Mother's TikTok Video in Hospital Room as Evidence
While her son was dying in the hospital, the mother, Alyssa Vanderbeck, recorded and published an upbeat TikTok dance video in the baby's hospital bathroom. Prosecutors intend to use this video to demonstrate a 'cold heart' or 'depraved heart,' although the defense may argue it was a coping mechanism for grief.
Investigators located a video Vanderbeck put on TikTok on March 8th, 2026, 'where she is seen slowly dancing... in the bathroom of her baby's hospital room with what can be described as quote upbeat music playing in the background.'
4Defense Challenges to 'Shaken Baby Syndrome' and Causation
Defense attorneys often challenge the concept of 'shaken baby syndrome' as junk science, hiring experts to undermine the causal link between shaking and death. This strategy aims to create reasonable doubt, particularly regarding the specific cause of death or whether the defendant's actions directly led to it.
Mark Weaver states, 'The defense lawyers have actually organized against this and they put on classes for other defense lawyers and point them to medical experts who will say that's not a thing. Who will try to undermine it who will come in as an experts and say you can't say that shaking a baby leads to their death and that the notion of shaken baby syndrome is junk science.'
Key Concepts
Jury Nullification
A jury's power to disregard the law and the evidence and acquit a defendant, even if the evidence proves guilt, often based on sympathy or a belief that the law itself is unjust. In this case, defense lawyers might seek jurors sympathetic to overwhelmed parents.
Flipping a Spouse (Cooperation Strategy)
A prosecutorial strategy where one co-defendant (often the one with lesser culpability or who is more sympathetic) is offered a plea deal in exchange for testifying against the other co-defendant. This is particularly effective when direct evidence or witnesses are scarce, as marital privilege does not cover observable actions.
Consciousness of Guilt
Actions taken by a defendant after an alleged crime that suggest an awareness of their own guilt. In this case, the delay in calling 911 and attempts to 'rouse' the baby through physical stimulation (shaking) could be presented as evidence of consciousness of guilt, indicating an attempt to conceal or avoid consequences.
Lessons
- Recognize the critical signs of infant distress (labored breathing, abnormal eye movements, unresponsiveness) and call 911 immediately; do not delay seeking professional medical help.
- Understand that any rough handling or shaking of an infant can cause severe, life-threatening injuries, even if not immediately apparent.
- Be aware that social media activity can become significant evidence in legal proceedings, reflecting on a defendant's state of mind or actions.
Notable Moments
The father, Mark Clamur, demonstrated to police how he roughly jerked his 7-week-old son, causing the baby's head to snap back hard, after the infant became fussy during feeding.
This admission provides direct evidence of the alleged physical action that likely initiated the severe head trauma, forming a core part of the prosecution's case.
The mother, Alyssa Vanderbeck, filmed multiple videos of her infant in severe medical distress, showing labored breathing and abnormal eye movements, but did not call 911 for an hour.
These videos serve as powerful evidence of the child's deteriorating condition and the parents' inaction, potentially indicating recklessness or consciousness of guilt.
While her son was dying in the hospital, Alyssa Vanderbeck posted an upbeat TikTok dance video from the baby's hospital bathroom.
This highly unusual and seemingly insensitive act is a shocking detail that could heavily influence a jury's perception of the mother's character and state of mind, despite potential defense arguments about coping mechanisms.
Quotes
"He looked he looked normal. I mean, he wasn't crying. I thought he was just he was getting tired."
"Like he could have had minor shaken baby and then it got worse. We were so scared."
"The easiest way is to cut a deal with one of the parents to testify against the other parent."
"It certainly goes to a cold heart, if you will, a depraved heart."
"Nearly all parents know you don't shake a baby. You never ever shake a baby."
Q&A
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