Update 7/23: An arrest has been issued for Christian Banks, the man who recorded the video.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A disturbing video is making the rounds on the Internet of a Memphis mother who appears to be having a mental breakdown and roughly handling her 19-day-old child, at times even throwing him across the room.
Thousands have seen the nearly 13-minute video after it was posted to Facebook.
The incident happened over the weekend. The children are safe, Memphis Police said Wednesday.
The mother in the video is depicted holding a 19-day-old baby and a 7-year-old girl.
What she is saying through the children’s screams doesn’t make sense, but throughout the 13 minutes she is often chanting.
“The name of the father, son, holy ghost,” she screamed.
Several times she tossed the baby as he lay helpless on the floor crying.
Police said the man behind the camera, the baby’s father, called 911 before he started rolling. After 12 minutes he finally got the baby. Police said as of now he is not facing any charges.
“He documented a lot of stuff, a lot of questions we would’ve asked during the video he got them answered. So he actually helped the investigation,” Colonel Marcus Worthy said.
Worthy said while some might wonder why the father didn’t step in to help more, the video shows the mother was acting erratically.
“Everybody handles shock in different ways, some people handle it better than others, some people handle it quicker than others,” he said.
Beryl Wight from the Memphis Child Advocacy Center said under Tennessee law anyone who knows about a possible case of child abuse must do something about it.
“We’re all morally obligated, but we’re also legally obligated,” said Wight.
If you don’t do something, Deputy District Attorney General Jennifer Nichols said you can face up to 15 years in prison.
“Failing to call and say there is a child in danger, this is where the child is, this is what I saw,” she explained.
Police are still investigating the case, as of now police have not determined what or if charges will be filed against the mother. Police said she is now at a facility, but they would not say what kind of facility.
The Memphis Child Advocacy Center said anyone who suspects child abuse should call 1-877-237-0004.
