US: Woman jailed for putting baby in freezer to get father's attention

An Oregon woman has been imprisoned for 30 days for subjecting her baby to cruel treatment, including waterboarding and placing the child in the freezer. She reportedly did this to test whether the baby’s father cared about the child’s well-being. Sharday McDonald, aged 30, admitted her guilt in cases of criminal mistreatment, identity theft, and witness tampering. The discovery of the baby’s mistreatment occurred during a welfare check conducted by the police on October 28, 2021, as per a report. Upon receiving reports that a baby had been put in a freezer, the police arrived at McDonald’s residence in Oregon. They overheard her shouting at the child’s father. She was heard saying, “I’m going to demonstrate something to you right now. Don’t you want him?” The accused continued, “Let me show you about this little baby; I couldn’t care less,” according to WPDE. As a consequence of her actions, the woman was sentenced to 30 days in prison. According to information from the Multnomah County Detention Center, McDonald will be released on October 6. McDonald pleaded guilty to the charges on July 28. Based on an affidavit obtained by Fox Digital, during the police visit to her apartment in 2021, McDonald opened the door while holding the child wrapped in a blanket. Officers questioned her, and she claimed that she had no intention of harming the child, despite her actions of subjecting the baby to running water before placing him in the freezer. Photographs depicting the baby being subjected to waterboarding were discovered. An officer described the images, saying, “It appeared as if [the baby] was attempting to hold his breath while water was pouring over his face…” In one picture observed by the officer prior to her arrest, McDonald “held [the baby] by the onesie in a downward position, with his hips, legs, and feet higher than his head (almost upside down) while water streamed over his face. Given that angle, the only place the water could go was into his nose.” When taken into custody, McDonald stated that her actions were a test to determine if Neal cared about the child at all.