Florida mother sentenced to 30 years in prison in death of 2-month-old son

(Melissa Waiman Schroer, sentenced)

(Marion County, FL)  A Marion County woman has been sentenced to the maximum 30 years in state prison for the 2019 death of her 2-month-old son, bringing a years-long homicide case to a close while a separate prosecution against the child’s father remains pending.

On Monday, Melissa Waiman Schroer, 43, received the maximum sentence after a Marion County jury convicted her in May of aggravated manslaughter of a child in the death of her infant son, Wailan Roy Schroer.

According to the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, the case began on Dec. 11, 2019, when authorities were called to The Villages Hospital after the infant was brought to the emergency room unresponsive. Investigators determined the child had been found unconscious at the family’s home on Southeast 36th Avenue in Ocala before being rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

During the investigation, Melissa Schroer told deputies she had placed the baby down to sleep before taking a nap herself. She said she was awakened by another child in the home who reported the infant was not breathing. Her husband, Jeffery Schroer, then transported the child to the hospital.

Detectives with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office later interviewed both parents separately and found their accounts of the events leading up to the infant’s death differed.

An autopsy completed on Feb. 5, 2020, determined the infant died from methamphetamine toxicity, with dehydration and inanition (severe malnutrition) listed as contributing conditions. The Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide, prompting a lengthy criminal investigation.

Authorities said both Melissa and Jeffery Schroer fled Florida before arrests could be made. Investigators later located the couple in Florence, Kentucky, where they were arrested by the Boone County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 10, 2021, before being extradited to Florida.

Following Melissa Schroer’s conviction, prosecutors urged the court to impose the harshest penalty allowed under Florida law.

Chief Walter Forgie of the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office said the case involved the tragic loss of a young child and left two surviving siblings forever affected by their brother’s death. He said prosecutors sought the maximum sentence, which the court ultimately imposed.

Jeffery Schroer has been charged in connection with the same case. His criminal case remains pending.

Assistant State Attorneys Marissa Meyer and Katrina Self prosecuted the case for the State.

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(Source and images: Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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