TACOMA, WA — A 19-year-old woman, Alyssa Jade Vanderbeck, stands accused of second-degree murder and criminal mistreatment. Prosecutors allege she filmed an "upbeat" TikTok dance in her infant son's hospital room on March 12, 2026, while the 7-week-old boy lay dying from injuries described by medical professionals as abusive head trauma. The infant, identified in court documents as N.C., died on March 9, 2026, at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital.
The child's father, Mark Anthony Labaco Clamor, 21, faces charges of second-degree murder and second-degree assault of a child. Both Vanderbeck and Clamor have been arraigned and ordered not to contact each other. According to investigators, a social worker alerted law enforcement to potential abuse after natural causes were ruled out by medical examiners. An autopsy determined the preliminary cause of death to be homicide due to abusive head trauma, including subdural hemorrhages, anoxic brain injury, retinal hemorrhages, and possible healing rib fractures.
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The couple admitted to taking videos of their son and sending them to family and friends, reportedly seeking advice, before eventually calling 911. They appeared in court on March 12, 2026, wearing anti-suicide vests. Legal representation for Vanderbeck and Clamor was not immediately clear.
Social Media and Legal Scrutiny
The discovery of the TikTok video, reportedly filmed in the hospital bathroom with upbeat music playing, came as detectives reviewed social media. Prosecutors presented evidence to the court that ruled out sudden infant death syndrome. The infant's injuries were deemed consistent with abusive head trauma by a physician's assessment.
A Pattern of Distressing Social Media Use in Tragedy
This case echoes other instances where social media use has intersected with profound tragedy. In August 2021, Kaylee-Jayde Priest was convicted of manslaughter for the death of her three-year-old daughter. A month after the child's death, Priest reportedly posted a TikTok video expressing regret. Another case involved Emily Long, who documented her husband's battle with terminal brain cancer in increasingly distressing TikTok videos before she, her husband, and two children were found dead in August 2025, in what appeared to be a murder-suicide. In a different context, a mother turned to TikTok in September 2024 to share her grief and seek accountability after her daughter's murder, posting videos with her stillborn baby. These instances highlight the varied and sometimes controversial ways individuals engage with platforms like TikTok during moments of extreme emotional distress or legal proceedings. In October 2022, a 14-year-old mother died attempting a TikTok challenge, underscoring the platform's association with both grief expression and dangerous trends.
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