The Penobscot Regional Communication Center in Bangor, Maine, received an urgent 911 call on January 16, 2026, regarding an unresponsive infant. Emergency responders from the Orrington Fire and Rescue, Brewer Fire Department, and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office answered the call. When they arrived at the residence, they found 12-week-old Lyla Samuels “blue” and unresponsive. They performed life-saving measures and took the baby to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
Due to the extent of her injuries, the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit-North began an investigation that led to the arrest of Lyla’s father, 24-year-old Shawn Samuels. Following the infant’s death two days later, what started as a case of assault was upgraded to murder.
According to a release from Maine State Police, officers arrested Samuels on January 17, one day after the 911 call. At the time, he faced charges of domestic violence, elevated aggravated assault, and two counts of violation of bail. The following day, Lyla died. On January 19, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta deemed the manner of death a homicide. Officials did not release the cause of death because they are waiting for final test results.
“After the autopsy, Major Crimes Unit-North Detectives arrested Samuels for Murder at the Penobscot County Jail, where he remains in custody,” police noted in the release.
The Boston Globe reported that during a 911 call, a relative indicated Samuels was alone with his daughter for the first time that day.
According to The Daily Mail, Leah Collins, Lyla’s mother, told the Bangor Daily News her baby was a “gift from God, returned to Heaven much too soon.”
Collins added she will miss all the little things that made Lyla so special. “Her smiles, grunts, giggles, and coos brought joy to all who knew her. She is missed beyond what words could ever express, but will forever stay in our hearts as the precious, perfect baby girl that she is,” she said.
Family created a GoFundMe account to aid with Lyla’s final expenses and Collins’ continued healing.
Just weeks before Lyla’s death, Samuels shared a post on Facebook that looked like a happy family.
“As 2025 comes to an end, I cannot say how thankful I am for all that it has brought to our family. Here’s to 2026 and many more memories to come,” he wrote alongside several photos.
We will never understand how anyone can hurt a baby. But when it’s your own flesh and blood, the crime feels so much more sinister. If convicted of murder, Samuels will spend no less than 25 years in prison, according to Maine law. That’s longer than he’s even been alive. What a tragedy.
