Worst Parents in the World: Murders of Innocent Children

The following short crime stories include child murder and death. Stories may contain graphic details that some readers find disturbing. Please read with caution.

Life in Prison for Man Who Beat 5-Week-Old Infant to Death

5-week-old Sean Clark suffered 71 rib fractures as well as various head injuries that occurred from three separate incidents of abuse at the hands of his father, 31-year-old James Clark. In January 2018, paramedics found the infant deceased in his father’s Warmley, Bristol, England home.

He denied involvement in the beating death of Sean, but a jury found him guilty. He was sentenced to life in prison in September 2021. Clark must serve a minimum of 15-years at Bristol Crown Court before he is eligible for parole.

The infant’s mother, 27-year-old Helen Jeremy, was cleared of any wrongdoing in the child’s death. She lived with Sean at her parent's home and Clark lived with his mother but the couple spent the weekends together at each other’s homes.

Jeremy searched Google for “babies coughing up blood” several hours after arriving at Clark’s home on January 11. She sent text messages to her mother, telling her she was concerned about Sean because he was crying especially when picked up. She found the infant unresponsive in his cot the following morning. Ms. Jeremy then called paramedics.

Sean died from a brain injury caused by “being shaken, exacerbated by injuries to his rib cage caused by squeezing.”

Clark never provided the court with a statement clarifying what happened to Sean that day. His silence spoke volumes.

Mommy, No!

A neighbor heard Da'Neria Thomas, 6, and her brother Davin Thomas, 8, screaming and crying in the apartment beside her on the evening of August 19 leading into August 20, 2021. She heard Da’Neria scream “Mommy, no!” Little did the neighbor know the screams she heard occurred as their mother, Jamierra Hall, strangled and drowned both kids to death.

On August 24, maintenance found the deceased children when they were asked to investigate odors coming from the Baltimore apartment.

Da’Neria was found face down in the bathtub; Davin found face down in a sleeping bag. Both bodies had begun to decompose. The forensic examiner found "a large knife in the right side of the chest along with a plastic trash bag wrapped around the face and head” when they rolled Davin over. Da'Neria was found in the bathtub, "with an apparent clothing object wrapped around her neck."

Hall was taken to the police station for interrogation. She waived her Miranda rights and went into full details about the murders.

In 2018, Hall was accused of setting fire to a home while her children were with her. Information about the outcome of that case is unavailable.

She has been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and reckless endangerment and currently awaits trial.

Lisa Synder (Allegedly) Hanged Children to Death

In February 2020, Lisa Synder allegedly murdered her children, 4-year-old Brinley and 8-year-old Conner Snyder. The children were found hanging in the basement of the home. They were hanging 3-feet apart in a single wired cable with eye snap hooks. The wire had been wrapped around the support beam of the basement with each end tied to the children’s necks. Two wooden chairs stood beside the kids.

The kids were alive when paramedics arrived but could not be revived by CPR. The kids died from their injuries after they were removed from life support three days later.

Snyder told police that the children killed themselves. She said that she found the children hanging and could not get them down because she was suffering from a panic attack that caused her to sweat.

While searching Snyder’s phone, police found photographs of her engaging in sex acts with a dog. She had sent the photos to a man on Facebook.

She told first responders that Connor had been bullied at school and had talked about suicide for weeks, although no evidence supports these details. He appeared happy on the school bus coming home from school that day. Further, an occupational therapist testified that the boy was not physically capable of harming himself or his sister in that manner.

Synder was taken into custody and charged with several crimes related to the deaths. She is currently awaiting trial and faces the death penalty if convicted.