“If I Can’t Her, No One Can” Florida Mom Drowns Infant Daughter | Tierra Scott-Franklin

On Wednesday afternoon, January 14, 2026, a uh, 911 dispatcher in Gainesville, Florida received a call from 23 year old Tierra Scott Franklin. On that call, Tierra told dispatchers that she had just drowned her 7 month old daughter in a bathtub at the Sweet Water Square Apartments. Welcome lambs. Welcome to love and murder, heartbreak to homicide, your Florida Man Friday edition. Now this Florida man edition is actually Florida woman and it’s about a Florida mom who drowns her infant in the bathtub, calls 911 and then tells them that if she can’t have her baby then no one can. Before we begin, my name is Kai and welcome to my podcast where I bring you true crime cases of relationships that turn to murder. Don’t forget while you’re listening right now to go ahead and subscribe so you don’t miss any other true crime cases that I have coming. And you can also subscribe over at the patreon for free. Patreon.com loveandmurder where you do get some benefits for being a free subscriber. Like actually tomorrow I do have a bonus true crime article coming out so if you want that you can sign up for free. And you also get reminders when any episode actually drops, it drops right in your email, whatever email you signed up to patreon with patreon.com uh, loveandmurder but you might wanna sign up to one of the bonus tiers because I do have a bunch of bonus that came out this week. I ah, have the case of a father who gave his brother his daughter and said that this is his common law wife. Now I also have a case of Charlize Theron, something that happened to her where I go really in depth and talk like, give it like a heart to heart about everything that’s going on, what she’s talking about. And then I do have another bonus episode that went in the skc, the serial killer corner where I talked about the case of the necktie killer. So you get all of this that just dropped the this week, um, by joining the Patreon at one of the bonus tiers. So for the bonus episodes Those start at $5 and above. So you either do $5 or do $10. And like I said that is in the Patreon patreon.com forward/loveandmurder. Now without further ado, let’s get back to this Florida uh, Man Friday Emergency crews were dispatched immediately and by 12:47pm Gainesville Police officers and paramedics were inside the apartment the they found the infant unresponsive in the bathtub despite efforts to save her. The baby was transported to UF Health Shands Pediatric, where she was pronounced dead. Now, going back several months, Tierra was already dealing with legal trouble. In August 2025, she had been arrested for allegedly battering a 67 year old victim. She later pleaded no contest to battery on a person 65 or older and was serving five years of prob at the time of her daughter’s death. Wow. She was on probation already and this is wow. At the same time, she was also dealing with what she described as ongoing mental health issues. During interviews with investigators, Tierra said that she suffered from multiple mental illnesses and frequently heard voices. She told police that she was facing, quote, other legal penalties and was living in constant fear that she would lose custody of her baby. According to activist Shanae Jackson, Tierra had even reached out to people before this happened, telling them that she was, quote, not well and asking them to take the baby. Tierra admitted to investigators that about two weeks before January 14, she’d used the Internet to search for suffocation. Investigators focused on that detail as evidence of what later would be argued as premeditation. On the day of the incident, Tierra told investigators she filled the bathtub halfway with water and placed her daughter inside face up. Then, uh, she walked out of the bathroom and closed the door. When she later explained that decision, she said she expected the baby to, quote, go. She waited for about five minutes before going back into the bathroom. When she picked up her daughter out of the water, she noticed, quote, a white substance coming from the baby’s nose and mouth. She told officers she attempted chest compressions, but stopped when more liquid came out of the baby’s mouth. Shortly after that, she made the call to 91 1. I don’t know what to make of this. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Because it’s like she’s saying she heard voices. She’s saying she’s suffering mental health, um, problems. She’s tried to get people to take the baby and saying that she’s not well. Then at the same time she’s looking up suffocation. And then she placed the baby in the water, knowing what was going to happen. She actually stood there and waited while it happened, not saying she was watching the baby, but she went away, stood there, waited for five minutes, then went back in the bathroom, noticed this stuff coming out of her baby’s face, and then decided to try cpr. It’s just like, m. I just, I Don’t. I don’t. I don’t get it. I don’t know. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Tierra was taken from the apartment to the police station for an interview. After being read her rights, she spoke with investigators and made several statements that would become central to the case. She told them, quote, if I can’t have my baby, no one can. Explaining what she said was her reasoning. She also said, quote, I’m sorry, but I don’t regret it. She was arrested and charged with first degree premeditated homicide and booked into the Alachua, Alachua A L A C H U a County jail. In addition to that charge, she was also facing a violation of probation related to her 2025 battery case. Because, I mean, yeah, you can’t do certain things on probation, like namely murdering your child. So I, uh, would think that’s a violation of probation. The next day, on Thursday, January 15, 2026, Tierra made her first court appearance. And at that hearing, the court began laying out what this case would look like moving forward. From the state’s perspective, the case centered on premeditation. Like I said, they are pursuing a first degree murder charge. Their argument is built on multiple pieces of evidence, like Tierra’s own confession, Both in the 911 call and in her statement to investigators. There’s also her admission that she searched for suffocation. And then there’s her stated motive that she killed her child because she was afraid of losing custody. So this is what I’m saying. Like, it seems like you’re saying this by reason of insanity, but at the same time, the premeditation in it and this, the fact that you’re saying you don’t regret this and you were doing this so nobody else could have your baby. But also I’m kind of thrown off by the fact that she was trying to get help and trying to get people to take her child so that she wouldn’t hurt her child. So I’m kind of thrown off, you know, which I guess if you’re dealing with somebody with mental health issues, it’s not going to be a linear case because their minds are not all there, period. It’s the definition of insanity. Right? The defense’s strategy, along with the voices of community advocates, has focused heavily on Tierra’s mental health. During her first hearing, the judge noted that Tierra appeared, quote, not well. And because of that, she was ordered to be held under constant supervision in the jail’s infirmary rather than in general population. Advocates spoke directly in court, trying to give context to her state of mind leading up to the incident, Saadia Bradley addressed the court and said, quote, she did what she did, but we stand beside her. She is loved, she is valued, she is cared for. We’re asking that you please do what you do to help her to get the help she needs. Shanae talked about what she said were warning signs before the incident, saying, quote, two others have reached out. She’s not well. She let people know she was not well and asked them to take the baby outside of the courtroom. The case was also discussed at a, uh, Gainesville City Commission meeting that same day. Commissioner Desmond Duncan Walker addressed what happened and said, quote, you don’t do that if you’re healthy. Using the case to highlight concerns about access to mental health resources in the community. At the hearing, the judge denied bond and issued a specific order that Tierra is to have no unsupervised contact with minors. As of right now, Tierra remains in custody at the Alucha County Jail under constant supervision in the infirmary due to her mental health condition. The case is still ongoing, and a trial date has not been set, so everything said here is alleged. So, what are your thoughts? I definitely want to hear from you because you heard my thoughts. Um, I’m like, uh, on defense, do you agree with the prosecution that this was a premeditated killing? Or do you agree with the defense that this is a strong case of mental health issues? Or do you think, like me, it could be both. Like, it could be mental health, but at the same time is premeditation. But premeditation due to mental health issues. I’m not sure I want to hear from you. Let me know your comments below. And sometimes y’ all leave these comments that really get me thinking, like, maybe while I’m telling the case, while I’m doing this episode, I might have missed something. I might have forgotten something in the beginning, or I just didn’t possibly understand something. And, uh, sometimes when y’ all give your comments, it helps me think more. Like, oh, you know, I didn’t even see it this way. So let me know what you think about this case, what you think about the prosecution and the defense’s arguments. And, uh, yeah, let me know in the comments below and I will read your comments in a future episode. Don’t forget, if you want some bonus episodes to hear the craziness that I have going on in the Patreon this week, then go ahead and sign up to the Patreon. Patreon.com forward/loveandmurder at any one of the bonus tiers, $5 and up. So that’s just a $5 tear and the $10 tear depending on the amount of bonus episodes you want per month. Patreon.com uh, forward/11Murder don’t forget, by joining the Patreon, you also helping out the victims, the voice of the victims, in a way, by getting their story out. You’re also helping keep this podcast listener funding. You’re becoming part of the LaM Patreon fam. You’re becoming part of helping this podcast move forward. And in return, I do give you bonus episodes. You hear more from me, you hear my ranting, ranting. And you get case extras after shows and so much more. Patreon.com uh, forward/loveandmurder thank you so much for spending part of your Friday with me. Thank you so much for your support and I will see you in another episode. Bye.

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Sources: (what the sources say)

https://www.usmagazine.com/crime-news/news/mother-who-drowned-7-month-old-baby-in-bathtub-deemed-not-well-in-court/

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/gainesville-woman-accused-drowning-7-month-old-baby-bathtub

https://lawandcrime.com/crime/if-i-cant-have-my-baby-no-one-can-mom-left-7-month-old-in-a-tub-of-water-closed-the-door-and-walked-out-of-the-room-police-say/

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2026/01/16/shes-not-well-mother-arrested-drowning-7-month-old-baby-bathtub-officers-say/