Baylee Rose Duggins, a teen from Tacoma, Washington, died on Sunday 15 years after she suffered brain damages as a result of being shaken by her biological father, the Daily Mail reported.
At that time, Duggins was only three months old when she was abused by Christopher Schwanz, her mother's then-fiancé.
According to the mother, Shannon Stiles, Duggins was shaken violently by her father on January of 2000. The abuse caused her to develop severe head trauma that seriously affected her mental and physical development. She was not able to walk or communicate due to the injuries she sustained.
Duggins' father was found guilty of child abuse and was imprisoned for two years after the incident.
For more than a decade since the incident, Duggins underwent almost 20 medical procedures due to her condition.
"I was 19 years old," Stiles told Komo News as she recalled the early years after the abuse. "I had to be a mom of a disabled child. She ate through a feeding tube into her stomach. She never rolled over. She never sat up on her own."
Despite the surgeries, Duggins' condition worsened as the years went by. Seeing the condition of her child, Stiles decided to take her off life support.
"If it wasn't for him hurting her, she would be able to do anything that she wanted to do," she said. "I'm hoping he has to pay for taking my daughter's life away."
Stiles said she is currently working with prosecutors if a case against Schwanz can be made. Law enforcers are also looking into the matter to see if he is guilty of homicide as a result of his actions 15 years ago.
"I hope people will remember her love of music," Stiles said about her daughter. "Her love of family. Her smile. Her happiness."
"Never shake a baby," she added. "If you're mad or upset or if a baby is crying and you're frustrated, put it down. A baby has never died from crying."
