A woman has been charged in Arkansas following the death of a baby after an incident on Friday, August 29.
According to court records obtained by the Mountain Home Observer, Terra Jonell Thompson has been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree domestic battery and second-degree domestic battery.
Hospital Staff Learned the Baby Had Suffered a Brain Bleed, Had Make-Up Applied Over Bruises to Conceal the Injury
The infant, who was not identified in court records, was pronounced dead at 11:27 a.m. on Aug. 30, one day after emergency responders found him barely breathing at a Mountain Home residence.
According to an affidavit filed by Investigator Brian Williams of the Baxter County Sheriff's Office, dispatch received a call at approximately 3:14 p.m. on Aug. 29 about an infant barely breathing at a mobile home on Highway 126 North.
"Prior to the arrival of law enforcement, the infant was transported by Baxter Health ambulance to Baxter Health Hospital," Williams wrote in the affidavit.
Williams stated that hospital staff "advised that the infant was going to be transferred to the Children's Hospital in Little Rock and that the infant's brain is bleeding." Hospital staff also told the investigator that "the bruising on the infant's face had makeup on it, like someone was attempting to conceal the injury."
Thompson Admitted to Slamming the Baby Because She was Upset
Thompson initially told investigators at the scene that "the only people within the home today, August 29, 2025, were her, the infant, and the infant's female sibling, who is 2 years old," according to the affidavit. She claimed she slammed the infant while the child was in his playpen in the living room because she was upset.
During a formal interview at the Criminal Investigation Division office, Thompson waived her Miranda rights and provided additional details about the alleged assault. "The defendant admitted to striking the infant hard with an open hand," Williams wrote. "The defendant further said she waited 10-15 minutes and attempted to put makeup on the victim to cover up the injury."
Thompson Also Admitted to Striking the Victim's 2-Year-Old Sibling Because She was Crying
Thompson allegedly told investigators she became upset because bruising on the victim's face from an earlier incident was visible. "The defendant was upset the child was crying" and "struck her in the face because she (the defendant) was upset," the affidavit states, referring to the 2-year-old sibling.
The prosecutor's filing states that "when asked about hitting the two-year-old the defendant stated she struck her in the face because she (the defendant) was upset the child was crying."
According to the charging document filed by Prosecuting Attorney David L. Ethredge, Thompson "did unlawfully and feloniously" cause "serious physical injury to a family or household member he or she knows to be sixty (60) years of age or older or twelve (12) years of age or younger."
Williams noted in his affidavit that Thompson claimed "when her mother came home around 3:00pm, she found the baby wasn't breathing and law enforcement and the EMS responded." The investigator observed "a large bruise on the two-year-old's cheek area" that "appeared like what would be seen from someone who was struck by a hand, fist, or object."
The infant's life support was terminated by a DNR order, and the child was pronounced deceased at 11:27 a.m. on Aug. 30, according to information from the Pulaski County Coroner's office cited in the affidavit.
Thompson Faces 10 to 40 Years in Prison
Thompson remains in the Baxter County Jail. Bond was set at $100,000, with the court ordering "no unsupervised contact with any minor child" as an additional condition.
If convicted of second-degree murder, Thompson could face 10 to 40 years or life in prison. The first-degree domestic battery charge, a Class Y felony, carries a potential sentence of 10 to 40 years or life. The second-degree domestic battery charge is a Class C felony.
The case is being prosecuted by the 14th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
