TASHEAUNNA RENEE WILLIAMS | Woman Who Gave 13-Month-Old an 'excessive' Dose of Zzzquil in a Desperate Bid to Quiet the Baby Charged With Murder | Autographed Letter Signed

Tasheaunna Williams. Autographed Letter, Signed. Handwritten, Commercial #10 (4.125 × 9.5 envelope). Peoria, IL. April 23, 2025. Content unknown. SEALED.

A Lullaby Turned Lament: The Fall of Tasheaunna Renee Williams

Basic Information:
Tasheaunna Renee Williams was born on May 1, 1998, and spent her life in and around Peoria, Illinois, where she remained at the time of her arrest. At 5’3″ and weighing 205 pounds, Williams had no prior criminal convictions before January 2025, when she was taken into custody. Her only formal record now is a set of grave charges: first-degree murder and aggravated battery in the death of her son, Hezekiah.

Background:
Little is publicly known about Williams’s childhood or family beyond the fact that she became a young mother in her early twenties. She attended local schools but did not pursue higher education, instead working sporadically in retail and home health–adjacent roles to support herself and her son. Neighbors recall seeing Williams and Hezekiah together at grocery stores and playgrounds, her son’s bright smile a striking contrast to occasional bouts of visible exhaustion and frustration she displayed. Williams’s closest confidante was her partner, Nausicca Thomas, with whom she shared household duties but also, as later revealed, a co-dependent relationship marked by stress and limited outside support.

Criminal Activity:
On the morning of December 19, 2024, Williams and Thomas brought little Hezekiah to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, explaining that he would not stop crying. Medical staff noted the child was unresponsive and suffering from severe malnourishment, a lacerated spleen, and additional bruises. Toxicology reports later confirmed Hezekiah had been given three to five times the standard adult dose of ZzzQuil, a sleep aid strictly labeled “not for use by those under 12.” Investigators uncovered empty sleep-aid bottles and testimony that Williams and Thomas resorted to the medication in a desperate bid to quiet the baby. Hezekiah lingered in critical condition until his death on December 27.

Legal Proceedings:
Williams and Thomas were arrested without incident on January 10, 2025, initially charged with aggravated battery while toxicology results were pending. Those results precipitated first-degree murder charges, and on February 25, a Peoria County grand jury returned indictments against both women. At a detention hearing on March 6, the court granted the State’s petition to keep Williams in custody until trial, finding her a serious flight risk and a continuing danger to the community. Her next court appearance is scheduled for May 1, when trial dates and potential plea negotiations will be discussed.

Impact on Victims and Society:
Hezekiah Williams’s death sent shockwaves through Peoria and beyond. The community mourned the loss of an innocent child whose only fault was to cry out for care. Advocacy groups seized on the case to call for greater public education on the dangers of misusing over-the-counter medications, especially in vulnerable populations. Local media coverage sparked heated discussion about how child protective services and law enforcement might better detect and prevent such tragic outcomes, prompting the Peoria County Health Department to announce plans for new safe-medication workshops for parents.

Current Status:
Williams remains detained at the Peoria County Jail, where she is held without bond pending trial. There have been no public reports of her participating in any rehabilitation or parenting programs, and her legal team is reportedly preparing an insanity defense based on alleged postpartum stress. If convicted, she faces a sentence of life imprisonment. Experts warn that, unless proven otherwise, Williams poses little direct threat beyond the confines of her cell, although her case will remain a touchstone for ongoing debates about maternal mental health support.

Conclusion:
The story of Tasheaunna Renee Williams is one of desperation met with fatal misjudgment. The tragedy underscores the vital importance of accessible parental support, rigorous enforcement of child-protection laws, and clear public awareness that adult medications can become lethal in the hands of caregivers under strain. Preventing similar crimes will require a coordinated effort between medical professionals, social workers, and community advocates to ensure no child suffers in silence.

Additional Note:
Given the rarity and notoriety of this case, obtaining an autographed item connected to Tasheaunna Renee Williams—whether a signed mugshot print or legal documents—would intrigue collectors and true-crime enthusiasts alike, offering both a stark reminder of the case’s lessons and an unusually valuable artifact of criminal history.

VIDEO: Women who allegedly gave 13-month-old an ‘excessive’ dose of ZzzQuil are charged with murder?!?! | https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nsbxmiZ4_NI?feature=share

Archiving Protocol:

• Handled with White Gloves ab initio

• Photo Pages/Sheet Protectors: Heavyweight Clear Sheet Protectors, Acid Free & Archival Safe, 8.5 × 11, Top Load

• White Backing Board – Acid Free

Shipping/Packaging: Rigid Mailer 9.5 × 12.5. White, self-seal, stay-flat, Kraft cardboard, no bend. Each rigid mailer is made of heavy cardboard, which has strong resistance to bending and tearing. Thicker that the USPS mailers. Shipping cost never more than it absolutely has to be to get it from me to you.