NLV mother arrested for allegedly scalding child

Published Tuesday, June 23, 2009 | 1:38 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, June 23, 2009 | 4:38 p.m.

Shantell Morris

North Las Vegas Police detectives today arrested a mother who burned her 18-month-old child by putting the girl's hands in scalding water. The woman has had her three children taken into protective custody three times before this, records show.

In this latest case, the child, along with her two brothers have been in protective custody since June 4, when police went to an apartment at 8 E. Webb Ave., said Sgt. Tim Bedwell, a spokesman for the North Las Vegas Police Department.

The mother was suspected of causing the toddler's injuries and the case was submitted to the Clark County District Attorney's Office for review.

North Las Vegas Police detectives received an arrest warrant for 26-year-old Shantell Morris of North Las Vegas and arrested her today, Bedwell said.

Morris has been booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one count of child abuse and neglect with substantial bodily harm, a felony, detention center records said. The child will recover, authorities said.

"She's going to have horrible scars," Bedwell said of the injuries to the child's hands, which were held under scalding water.

The child was taken to University Medical Center Pediatrics Emergency for treatment of the burns.

At the hospital, North Las Vegas Police detective Mark Hoyt interviewed Dr. John Reeves, who was first to treat the toddler, according to a criminal complaint. The mother had told the doctor she caught her daughter with her hands in the toilet. To clean the child's hands, Shantell Morris said she held them under a sink water faucet, which took a long time to heat.

Morris told Hoyt that she had just recently gotten the children back from Child Protective Services. Her 2- and 5-year-old sons were in an upstairs bathtub at the time of the incident, but were not harmed, the complaint said.

Detectives went to Morris' apartment and tested the water faucet in the upstairs bathroom. After 12 seconds the water measured 114 degrees, then the temperature reached 134.1 degrees in one minute.

Child Protective Services confirmed to the police that Morris had had three child abuse claims against her involving her children.

A man believed to be the father, but who said he was uncertain if he was the biological father, said the two boys had been under protective custody most of their lives.

All three children have been placed at Child Haven.

Discussion: 10 comments so far…

By vivika

6/23/09 at 4:17 p.m.

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There are certain groups who should not be able to have children. The way they treat them is criminal. Like the one thrown into the dumpster a few weeks ago...
By steve7952

6/23/09 at 5 p.m.

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To some children are just a commodity; more kids - the more in food stamps and welfare payments.
By gmag39

6/23/09 at 5:11 p.m.

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How horribly sad. And sadly indicative of the kind of numbskulls that populate large portions of the valley. God Bless the child.
By stevem

6/23/09 at 5:32 p.m.

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north las vegas.

shocking!

and people wonder why there is a "stigma" to north las vegas.
By WelshGirl

6/24/09 at 3:16 a.m.

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So she's been known for abusing children some times before this..where are the authorities?

Women like this should be sterilised..and the 'father' should be castrated.

There are more and more cases like this here in the UK, the world is turning on itself.
By sheilacatherine

6/24/09 at 6:48 a.m.

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Why, why, why are the children returned to her over and over again!? What safeguards are in place when they are returned to her? Did she take angry management and parenting courses? Did a social worker physically check on her and her children each week? I understand that the goal of intervention is to help keep children with their parents and that our social services are so overwhelmed that they have in excess of 150 cases a piece but come on....did she EVER show she was capable of raising three small children? And by the way, she left two children unsupervised in a bathtub while she hurt the third child. That alone tells us she has no concept of what constitutes child endangerment. We are so lucky one of them did not accidently drown. Will these children be permanently removed from her custody so that they can be adopted?
By Narcissa

6/24/09 at 9:22 a.m.

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Well, I'm sure her court-appointed attorney, you know, the one WE have to pay for- just like EVERYTHING ELSE in this loser of a woman's life-will manage to argue how the umm, "family" should be kept together.

I'm sure her husband must be very upset over all this. Whaaat?! She's not married to any of the fathers of these kids? That's right, I forgot-she knows her "rights" and you can't judge about there being no husband in the picture, wouldn't want to judge!!

Well, that liberal baby-boomer philosophy sure has worked out nicely for these kids, don't you think?
By geenab65

6/25/09 at 7:05 a.m.

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stevem, is this one of your "jokes"? What "stigma" are you speaking of specifically?
By papasangel1979

7/28/09 at 4:17 p.m.

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I can't believe you people have fell for this. This is my niece and she would never hurt her kids, the past abuse has been by t6he alleged dad, who is gangster. SOme of us are stuck into a world we cannot get out of and unfortunately for shantell she has hit this place. The alleged father is a dickhead and Shantell has been conned. I love you baby and I am here for you. And screw all those who think they know what happened cuz they are blind to the truth.
By papasangel1979

7/28/09 at 4:22 p.m.

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Narcissa, Sheilacatherine, welshgirl, stevem, vivka get your facts straight before you make acussations. She is a good mother and has been wrongly accused. Shut you mouth unless you know the truth and have the facts. And she is doing the best she can, she wasn't born with the wealth and fame of some people and was raised poorly so back off and give her a break. A......s