No bail for woman charged in connection with 2019 death of her son, age 2 months

A little more than two weeks after a man was returned from Kentucky to Marion County and charged with the death of his infant child, his wife has arrived to face the same charge.

Melissa Waiman Schroer was booked at the Marion County Jail shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday, charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, according to jail records.

Hours later, Schroer appeared in front of County Judge Robert Landt for her first appearance hearing. Landt had signed the warrant for the 38-year-old Florence, Kentucky woman, arrest documents show.

Couple charged: Manslaughter charges for Marion parents whose 2-month-old son ingested meth and died

Drug overdose: A Marion toddler died after ingesting fentanyl. Her parents are now charged with aggravated manslaughter

Sheriff's deputies: Man lit aerosol spray to threaten witness in girlfriend's Lake County murder case

During the hearing, which was held via Zoom from the jail, Schroer sat at the back of the room, away from other inmates. Wearing a red top and bottom and shackled at the waist, Schroer was called to the podium by the judge. A detention deputy stood mere yards away from Schroer.

The judge asked Schroer about other children and her living arrangements. She said the children are living in Ohio with her sister.

Although it wasn't clear if the children mentioned in court belongs to her, Sheriff's Office officials said Schroer does have an 11-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl. They said the children are in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families.

Landt initially announced he was setting Schroer's bail at $30,000 with a special condition that if she's released, she must not have contact with anyone younger than 18.

But then Assistant State Attorney Kevin Steiniger told the judge that Schroer should not be granted bail at all. His reasoning: Schroer has a 2011 conviction for tampering with a monitoring device, and a 2014 conviction for endangering a child.

Steiniger said if Schroer posts a bond and is released from jail, she wouldn't appear for future hearings. Schroer told the judge that she has never missed a court appearance. Eventually, the judge reversed his ruling and told Schroer she will be held without bail.

The Schroers are accused of allowing their infant to ingest drugs

Marion County Sheriff's Detective Bradley Bartlett had obtained warrants to arrest Schroer and her husband, Jeffrey, in connection with the December 2019 death of their son Wailan. The child was a little more than 2 months old when he died, officials said.

Bail for 41-year-old Jeffrey Schroer, also of Florence, Kentucky, was set at $100,000 after her was returned to Marion County last month. Jail records show he remains behind bars. It's not clear why he was returned to Marion before his wife.

Sheriff's deputies said Jeffrey Schroer drove to a hospital in The Villages with Wailan. While on his way, he told a woman that he "had a dead baby in the car."

Marion and Sumter County deputies went to the hospital. Marion deputies interviewed the victim's father. Authorities searched the vehicle that transported the child, but found nothing unusual.

They went to the couple's Belleview home where they interviewed Melissa Schroer. She told deputies that she knew her child was dead and changed his diaper and dressed him. She said she laid with her son and cried as she didn't know what to do.

The Schroers said they called family members before taking the child to the hospital.

An autopsy showed the cause of death was methamphetamine toxicity with contributing factors of dehydration and inanition/exhaustion caused by lack of nourishment, according to the arrest report.

Once the investigation was completed and the arrest warrants signed, deputies were unable to locate the couple. They eventually were found in Kentucky and taken into custody.

Contact Austin L. Miller at 352-867-4118, austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala courthouse: No bail for woman accused in infant son's death