Baxter County Woman Charged With Murder After Infant’s Death

MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. — A woman is facing murder and other charges in the death of an infant child in Baxter County.

According to the probable cause affidavit, at about 3:14 PM on August 29, 2025, dispatch advised of an infant barely breathing at the 7100 block of Highway 126 North, a mobile home park. Authorities responded, with Investigator Brian Williams learning the infant had been intubated.

Williams wrote that he made contact with paramedics, who alerted him that the baby had obvious bruising on the right side of the face. Medics immediately noticed the trauma on the infant’s face. Soon after, hospital staff advised the child was suffering from a brain bleed and was being transferred to Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. Hospital staff reported the infant’s bruises had makeup covering them, “like someone was attempting to conceal the injury.”

The investigator went to the mobile home lot to gather more information, speaking with Terra Thompson, the only person in the home. She agreed to an interview at the CID office. Williams wrote that she stated the residents in the home were her, her mother, a five-year-old girl, the infant victim, and a two-year-old sibling of the victim. As the others arrived, the officer noted a large bruise on the two-year-old’s cheek area, similar to that of a fist, hand, or object, the affidavit said.

Thompson was read her Miranda rights and agreed to speak to the investigator, the affidavit says.

“Terra stated the infant was in his playpen in the living room, and she was upset and slammed the infant,” Investigator Williams wrote. “Terra explained that she pushed the infant down, and he hit the back of his head.”

But the detective knew there were more injuries and pressed the issue. He asked about the bruising on the child’s face, writing that Thompson admitted to striking the infant hard with an open palm around 1 PM that day.

“Terra stated she waited approximately 10 to 15 minutes, and then she put makeup on the child to try to cover up the injury,” Williams said.

When Thompson’s mother arrived home around 3 PM, the affidavit said she found the baby wasn’t breathing.

The investigator also asked Thompson if she had struck the two-year-old child in the face, to which she reportedly admitted she had. She was upset that the child was crying and claimed it was an “accident.”

Thompson was placed under arrest and transported to the Baxter County Jail for processing.

The two-year-old child was taken into care by a friend of the biological mother. The five-year-old child was taken into DHS custody.

The Pulaski County Coroner’s office later notified law enforcement that the infant’s life support was terminated by a DNR order. The infant was pronounced deceased at 11:27 AM on August 30, 2025.

Terra Jonell Thompson, 29, of Midway, is being charged with first-degree domestic battering (4 years of age or younger), a Class Y felony; second-degree murder, a Class A felony; and second-degree domestic battering (12 years of age or younger), a Class C felony.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.