Infant’s November Death Ruled A Homicide In Sarasota, Woman Charged: Sheriff

SARASOTA, FL — A 31-year-old woman faces charges related to the death of a 14-week-old infant in Sarasota more than four months ago, according to a Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Lily Scheip has been charged with second-degree murder and remains in custody without bond.

On Nov. 8, 2021, around 10 p.m., deputies and paramedics responded to reports of an infant who was unconscious and not breathing at a home in the 2300 block of Spring Oaks Circle in Sarasota.

According to the 911 caller, their neighbor, later identified as Scheip, came to their door carrying the unresponsive 14-week-old boy. CPR was performed until emergency personnel arrived and rushed the baby to the hospital, the sheriff’s office said.

Although there were no obvious injuries noticed at first, the infant was transferred to Tampa General Hospital, where doctors discovered serious head trauma. The boy died from his injuries two days later on Nov. 10.

During an interview, Scheip told detectives she was the only person caring for the infant at the time he was found unresponsive.

Investigators learned that the boy previously suffered two broken legs in September from “an apparent accidental fall,” the sheriff’s office said.

The autopsy also revealed that the infant had one partially healed skull fracture and at least two recent impact injuries to the back of his head while in Scheip’s care.

Because the child’s death is protected under Marsy’s Law, SCSO can’t share his relation to Scheip, but Megan Krahe, a media relations specialist for the agency, said “there is a familial tie” between the two.