Mother Charged in Toddler Son's Death Free on Bond

JACKSONVILLE, FL - A young mother of three is charged with murder in the death of her fourth child.

It began the day after Thanksgiving with a 911 call.

Emergency responders went to a home on the 2600 block of Grampian Drive West, where they found a critically-injured baby.

The mother, 23-year-old Shantell Shemika Serrant, told rescuers her baby was pulled out of his playpen by a 3-year-old sibling, and when the baby fell, his head landed on an empty oxygen bottle.

Eighteen-month-old Antoine Hardiman, Junior, was rushed by ambulance to Wolfson Children's Hospital with critical injuries. Three days later, the child was pronounced brain dead.

An autopsy performed at the Duval County Medical Examiner's Office concluded the baby's head injury and death were not an accident.

"The child's death was ruled a homicide by way of abusive head trauma," said JSO Homicide Lieutenant Patrick Ivey.

"Yesterday a murder warrant was obtained for the child's mother, who is 23 years of age, in the death of her child, and she was arrested without incident."

Neighbors preparing for the Christmas holiday were stunned by the news of the arrest.

"I'm shocked. I'm very shocked" said neighbor Yvonne Hanner.

Shantel Serrant had told her neighbor she was exhausted because the baby had serious health issues including a tracheotomy --and relied on oxygen and daily visits from a nurse.

"I just know that she slept...the only time she slept was when the nurse was here," said Hanner.

The DCF told First Coast News an earlier allegation of abuse by Serrant against the same infant six months ago was found to be unsubstantiated.

Police say the forensic evidence against the mother is clear.

"One of the explanations that the mother gave was that the child's head hit an empty oxygen tank," said Lieutenant Ivey.

"I can tell you this: The medical personnel that assisted us with this case said that that is NOT the cause of the head injury."

Police won't say how they think the child was killed. Serrant's other three children are now living with their grandmother.

Serrant has been released from the Duval County jail on a $15,000 bond.