Melissa Lynn Beisel was found in the shower next to her 2-year-old son Aidan in September
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NEED TO KNOW
- Police allege Melissa Lynn Beisel lay in the shower with her son Aidan’s corpse for six hours before the child’s father found them and called police
- Beisel allegedly told police Aidan drowned when she left him in the shower for about two minutes
- Beisel had stabbed herself in her neck and arms after she couldn’t resuscitate the child, she allegedly told police, who have since ruled her wounds were superficial
A California mother of five who was found in a bathroom with stab wounds next to her deceased toddler last year has now been charged with murder.
Melissa Lynn Beisel, 41, was arrested on June 4 in connection with the killing of 2-year-old Aidan in September 2025, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said in a statement this week.
The investigation began on Sep. 22, when police in Placentia, Calif. responded to Beisel's home to find her, with stab wounds to her neck and arms, in the shower next to Aidan's body with the water running, the DA's office said.
Beisel allegedly told police she was bathing Aidan in a plastic storage bin and had stepped out for two minutes to grab a soap, the Placentia Police Department said in a statement at the time.
When she came back, she found the "child face down in the bin, unresponsive," police said. She began CPR on him and, when that didn't work, she harmed herself with a sharp object, according to the DA's office.
Placentia police allege Beisel lay there with Aidan for about six hours before the child's father found them and called police. She was initially taken into custody but not charged.
Investigators have since determined Aidan did not die from drowning and have ruled his death a homicide, the DA's office said, adding Beisel's self-inflicted wounds were superficial.
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A motive behind the alleged killing was not immediately clear.
Beisel has been charged with one felony count of murder and one felony count of assault on a child with force likely to produce great bodily injury resulting in death, the DA's office said. She faces 25 years to life if convicted on all counts.
It wasn't immediately clear if she has denied the allegations, entered pleas or retained an attorney to speak on her behalf.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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