A Florida mother is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly trying to kill her three young children. Shaniece Willingham tried to drown herself and her children during a mental health crisis. After an argument with her children’s father, she seemingly snapped. This led to her having a breakdown in which she believed she and her kids were better off dead. In a cry for help, she decided to livestream her crisis on Instagram. Thankfully, her family saw the video and rescued Willingham and her children.
In the early morning hours of September 24, 2025, Willingham, 24, got into a phone argument with the father of her children, WFLA reported. According to prosecutors, Willingham had asked him to pick up their three children, ages 3, 2, and 8 months. In the pretrial motion, it was stated that the father replied saying, “he doesn’t give a f — and he ‘ain’t doing anything.’”
After the argument, Willingham’s mother tried to calm her down and suggested she get out of the house, Fox 13 reported.
The mom loaded her three kids into a wagon and began walking to the community pool. As she walked, she began recording a live story on her Instagram. During the video, she said it was her “last goodbye, and she could not take it anymore,” per WFLA. She continued, saying, “she loved her kids so much, but she could not leave them behind because no one can take care of them, and they would be safe with God.”
Willingham apparently entered the closed pool area by lifting her children over the fence. According to the court documents, the mother used a rope to tie herself and her children to each other so they would be together when they entered the water, Fox 13 reported. Neither Willingham nor her children knew how to swim.
A recording of her video showed the mom crying while admitting she was struggling with her mental health. She also confessed that she could no longer handle being a single mom. “I never had a support system, so who am I going to leave them with?” she sobbed on Instagram.
The despondent woman then FaceTimed her mother to tell her she loved her one last time, revealing that she was at the pool.
Soon, a white SUV pulled up, prompting the mom to push her children into the pool. Family members had seen the video and, concerned, rushed to the pool. They saw Willingham push the children into the 6-foot end of the pool. Thankfully, they acted quickly and were able to pull her and the children out of the pool.
Investigators said the woman admitted to wanting to kill her children and herself. They also shared that the children didn’t suffer any life-threatening injuries.
“This incident is nothing short of horrific,” Sheriff Chad Chronister shared in a statement from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, per WFLA. “The fear and betrayal these innocent children must have felt, at the hands of the one person meant to love, care for, and protect them, is unimaginable. This decision was not a cry for help, it was a deliberate act of cruelty. These children were failed by their own mother, and it is only by the quick actions of their family that they are alive today.”
Willingham has been charged with three counts of attempted murder. She was being held without bond.
On September 25, she appeared in custody court from her jail cell. Fox 13 reported. Theo Williams, the children’s father, tried to gain custody, saying he wasn’t involved with the drowning attempt. Attorneys for the children, however, argued that he knew Willingham had mental health issues and did nothing.
“They just said I had knowledge of her mental health,” he said. “I told them I didn’t know. I didn’t know that.”
Note: If you or any of your loved ones are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can always reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling 988. They are available 24/7 by phone or online chat.
