On July 11, 2018 Shannon Dawn Rayner, 40, of
Charlotteviller, Prince Edward Island in Canada, was criminally charged after
police found the remains of two infants in storage totes at a property in
Sherwood where she was living at the time. Police had conducted a search
after getting a report that Rayner had been seen to be pregnant twice but did
not have any young children.
It is a peculiar feature of this case that the defendant
made a guilty plea to two charges of infanticide (Baby Bentley, born Feb. 5, 2014,
and Baby Tinley, born Jan. 21, 2015) while aware there was a third infant corpse
yet to be identified by police. The two guilty pleas were made by Rayner on
April 9, 2019. The remains of the third infant were found on May 3, 2019.
She was charged and on June 10 made a guilty plea for the death of Baby Ezra,
born November 17, 2016.
At the November 25, 2019 sentencing hearing “Judge John
Douglas told the court this was the most serious case he's presided over in his
more than two decades as a judge. Douglas said there were several factors he
considered when handing down his sentence, including the fact that there were
three separate offences, over the course of three years. He also acknowledged
that even after the initial charges were laid, Rayner didn't tell police about
the third baby.” He sentenced Rayner to 6 years in prison.
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Shannon Dawn Rayner, 40, Charlotteville, Prince Edward
Island, Quebec, Canada
CHRONOLOGY
Feb. 5, 2014 - Baby Bentley, # 1, born.
Jan. 21, 2015 - Tinley, # 2, born.
Nov. 17, 2016– Ezra, # 3, born.
Nov. 19, 2016 - Rayner went to work the
next morning and said she disposed of the body in a garbage bin two days later.
Mar. 21, 2017 - Following a report
received from medical authorities in Prince Edward Island, the Charlottetown
police opened an investigation on March 21, 2017.
Jul. 11, 2018 - Charged; Rayner faces six
charges in all: two of infanticide, two of failing to seek assistance in child
birth and two counts of disposing of the dead body of a child with the
intention to conceal the fact it had been delivered.
Sep. 27, 2018 - Bentley, Tinley; On
September 27, 2018, Shannon Dawn Rayner's mother contacted Charlottetown police
after making the macabre discovery of the remains of two newborn babies in
plastic containers in the basement of her Sherwood neighborhood home. At that
time, her daughter was no longer living at home.
Apr. 9, 2019 - pleads guilty to 2 murders.
May 3, 2019 - Ezra, # 3, found. skeletal
remains in a shed near a home in the city's Sherwood subdivision.
Jul. 10, 2019 - pleads guilty to 3rd
charge.
Nov. 25, 2019 - sentenced to 6 years in
prison.
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[202-1/14/21]
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