Sweet-looking Oklahoma babysitter charged with unthinkable killing of child after being hired on Facebook
A sweet-looking babysitter who was hired by parents on Facebook has been charged with the death of a 22-day-old Oklahoma child after police found she committed a similar sickening act on a two-month-old.
Holly Sheppard, who is already serving a life sentence at Oklahoma County Detention Center for abusing a child in 2023, was slapped with additional charges Monday in connection to the tragic Oklahoma City death of Willow Rose Shelton.
The infant was brought to St. Anthony's Hospital on January 25 with 'non-accidental abusive head trauma,' police told KOKH. She died soon after.
Shelton's mother said Sheppard was taking care of her baby for four days when the incident occurred, according to court documents obtained by the outlet.
Several witnesses were interviewed, but the lead investigator couldn't determine exactly who was taking care of the infant when she was injured so the case was left unsolved for seven years.
But five years after Shelton died, another baby, two-month-old Korra Burdick, was brought to Oklahoma Children's Hospital on July 14, 2023 with a brain injury after being babysat by Sheppard in Ponca City - a little more than an hour outside of Oklahoma City.
She thankfully survived and was moved to the intensive care unit.
At the time, Sheppard told investigators she didn't know how the baby got hurt, but she later changed her story several times and went on to admit she dropped Burdick twice, The Bull Tulsa reported.
She told authorities she dropped the child after tripping over a toy, but doctors said her brain injury was too extensive to be caused by a drop, an affidavit, reviewed by the outlet, showed.
The baby was left with internal bleeding, two skull fractures and had to have a flap of her skull removed to relieve pressure, Kay News Cow reported at the time.
Sheppard was then arrested for child neglect, child abuse and obstruction of justice. Her bond was set at $500,000 and she was ordered not to have any contact with children, records detailed.
In November 2024, she entered a blind plea of no contest and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of release after 25 years in Kay County.
But, now she might never get out after being charged with first-degree murder in the death of the first child.
It is unclear how many years she could face behind bars for the death of baby Shelton.
Ponca City Deputy Chief of Police Josh Henderson said Sheppard's crimes were 'inexcusable and represent a profound betrayal of the trust placed in someone responsible for a child's care.'
'No child should ever suffer harm at the hands of those entrusted with their safety,' Henderson told KOKH.
'We are grateful for the opportunity to assist other agencies across Oklahoma in their pursuit of justice in heartbreaking cases such as these.'
Although years have gone on with no answers for the first crime, McKenzie Allen, Burdick's mother, has made sure both her and Shelton's stories are told.
She started a Facebook page called Korra's Journey, where she gives updates of her daughter's milestones and success since the horrible injury.
On Tuesday, after hearing Sheppard was charged with Shelton's murder, Allen posted: 'Justice for Baby Willow is finally happening. #JusticeForWillow #Justice4Korra'
On the day Sheppard was sentenced for her daughter's incident, Allen took to the page sharing her pain and strength.
'Tomorrow is the day. The day that we sit in that courtroom reliving all the trauma like it happened yesterday,' she wrote.
'All the horrific memories and feelings flood back as we sit and listen. Tomorrow we will be able to stand up against evil and be Korra's voice.'
Burdick recently celebrated her second birthday in April, according to her mom's Facebook.
Joe Dorman, the CEO of the Oklahoma Institute of Child Advocacy, said these startling cases should serve as a reminder to parents to be cautious when picking a babysitter online.
'I would be wary of searching for any individual to be a babysitter on the internet,' he told KOCO News.
'If you go through a professional service, that's one thing, but don't just post to people who might be a connection on Facebook, "I need a babysitter," because how well do you truly know them?'
Instead, Dorman said if parents can't turn to trusted relatives or friends to watch their children, they should use legitimate babysitting services that conduct background searches on caregivers.
'These businesses will hire individuals, ensure they're background checked, and put them through some training sometimes, so that's usually a better option,' he said.
In Oklahoma specifically, he suggested parents check if potential babysitters have faced any charges by combing through the Oklahoma State Courts Network.
'That will allow you to look up any kind of court filing or some kind of ticket that an individual has received,' he explained.
Still, Dorman noted that sometimes a parent's only option is to hire a stranger to be responsible for their kids.
'Sometimes you are placed into a situation where you have no choice but to pay a babysitter. You just want to make sure you're doing it as safe as possible.'
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