A Nevada woman convicted of murdering her own baby will spend the rest of her life in prison.
Sheyenne N. Shore, 26, and Juan A. Montalvo Jr., 37, are the parents of a 7-month-old infant who died in June 2023 in Nevada. They each were originally charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment, causing death.
Shore and Montalvo Jr. fled to Fresno, California, two weeks after the baby’s death to live with a relative. Police arrested the couple a few months later, in September 2023.
In early 2025, Montalvo Jr. pleaded guilty to an amended count of child endangerment resulting in serious injury. He’ll serve 10 years in prison. He is still being charged with first-degree murder, according to court documents.
Shore’s trial started on March 24 and she was found guilty of both charges after two hours of deliberation on April 2.
She was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole on June 1.
Nevada baby arrived at hospital with multiple injuries
Shore took her unresponsive infant to the Story County Medical Center around 3:30 p.m. on June 11, 2023, according to court documents. A hospital employee said the infant’s pupils were “dilated and fixed.” The baby arrived with a head injury and various bone fractures.
Police were notified three hours later that the baby had died after unsuccessful attempts to revive her.
Shore told officers that the baby had “hit her head on baby toys while doing tummy time.”
Montalvo Jr. also told an investigator the baby “must have hit her head too many times during tummy time on the baby toys,” maybe hard enough to get a concussion.
The examiner’s report concluded the head injuries on the infant were not accidental, and the State of Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office determined the baby’s death was a homicide.
Video cameras show Shore leaving home without baby
Shore told police that the baby seemed fine on the day she died, including when she put her down for a nap at 1 p.m. She denied leaving home and said the baby was only in her care that day and the previous three days.
According to police, surveillance footage and receipts showed that Shore had been out shopping alone at about 11 a.m. on June 11. Cell phone records indicated to police that Montalvo Jr. had been in Nevada that day until about 12:17 p.m.
Phone records also showed that Shore attempted to contact Montalvo Jr. several times on June 11, as early as 3 p.m., to tell him the baby was unresponsive and Shore was taking the infant to the hospital.
Court records say Montalvo Jr. did not respond for roughly half an hour when he had a two-minute phone call with Shore. The mother texted Montalvo Jr. at 3:59 p.m. “she’s gone they tried everything they could.”
A plea hearing for Montalvo Jr.’s first-degree murder charge is scheduled for June 16, according to court records.
Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Story County woman will spend life in prison for killing infant child
Reporting by Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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By Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune | USA TODAY Network
