Judge rules confession of former daycare worker accused of shaking baby to death can be used in court

FORSYTH, Ill. (WAND) - A judge denied a motion for the confession of a former Forsyth daycare worker accused of shaking a baby girl to death to be suppressed.

Taylor Burris, 24, is charged with Endangering the Life and Health of a Child, Aggravated Battery to a Child Resulting in Death and Involuntary Manslaughter. She has pleaded not guilty.

She was arrested June 14, 2022.

Police said that on May 17, 2022 shortly after 2 p.m., emergency medical services and deputies were dispatched to an in-home daycare located in the 100 block of Valerian Dr. in Forsyth for unresponsive child.

When they arrived, they found a 7-week-old child from Bement, Illinois in an unresponsive state. She was rushed to a local hospital where she passed away later that night.

Police said Burris first told them the baby, Maren Gallagher, was in a bouncy seat when she was hit in the head by a ball that another child threw. She said there was a red mark on the baby's temple, and she sent a photo of the injury to the newborn's mother.

She said she then put Maren down for a nap. After an hour and a half, she said Maren woke up and was given a bottle, but she vomited it back up.

She was taken to the hospital and died later that day.

After her death, a pathologist reported she had a contusion to the right temple and cheek, subdural hemorrhage and hemorrhage surrounding the optic nerves and cervical dorsal root ganglia. The pathologist said he saw the hemorrhages to the back neck area and behind the eyes. The results were sent off to a doctor at the University of Chicago Medicine for review.

She reported preliminary findings that the injuries were caused either by a violent car crash or shaken baby syndrome. She said, since there was no known car crash, she strongly suspected shaken baby syndrome.

An investigation was launched into the child's death. On June 14 another interview was conducted with Burris. During this interview, police said she confessed she had lied about how Maren got the injury on her face.

She said a dog's tennis ball caused the mark, not a child throwing a softball. She said she lied to the child's mother and police, because she needed a more probable means to account for the injury after she noticed Maren's health declining.

She said Maren started to cry after being hit in the face. Burris said she took her into another room away from the other children, and police said she admitted she shook the baby out of frustration when she would not stop crying. Afterwards, she said she laid her down for a nap.

The Sangamon County Coroner, Jim Allmon, confirmed Maren Gallagher died at HSHS St. John’s Hospital on May 18 at 3:11 a.m. as an inpatient, after being transported by EMS from a day care in Forsyth.

Police obtained a warrant for her phone. They said it showed Google searches for "shaken baby syndrome" the evening Maren was in the hospital dying.

Police said they found more inconsistencies with her first story. They said the 5-year-old child that she initially claimed threw a softball and hit Maren was in school when the incident happened. They said she they tried to say a 3-year-old child had thrown the ball. They also said she lied about how many children were present during the incident, initially saying there were three children there. Officers said there were six children in the home.

Police interviewed Burris's own 5-year-old daughter who told them she was there when the incident happened but did not remember anything about a ball hitting Maren.

Burris told police the incident happened around 10:40 a.m., but she did not call EMS until after 2 p.m.

They said she told dispatch the baby had been unresponsive and impeded or apneic breathing state for 20 minutes before she called 911.

Police also said doctors found bruising on one of Maren's lungs based on a CAT scan.

Burris was the only adult home when this occurred.

Preliminary autopsy findings suggested the baby sustained injury to her head, Coroner Jim Allmon said. He called the findings "highly suspicious."

"The important question in this case, as in all cases of infant head trauma, is whether or not the injuries the child sustained are consistent with the explanation given by the caretaker," Allmon said.

Burris has been free since Dec. 30 after posting ten percent of her $200,000 bail.

The judge also agreed to modify the conditions of her bond to allow Burris to travel to Florida between March 25 and April 2, 2023.

WAND News is reaching out to the prosecutor's office to get clarification on why she is being allowed to travel out of state.

Burris will be back in court May 3 at 9 a.m. for a pre-trial hearing.