A woman allegedly recorded herself physically abusing her 2-year-old child before sending the videos to her boyfriend after he failed to answer her calls and messages while at work.
According to a release from the Dakota County Attorney’s Office, police were asked to conduct a welfare check involving a 2-year-old child on June 4. The person who reported the incident also provided officers with photos showing the child covered in bruises.
When first responders arrived at the home, they found that “the child had stitches on his forehead and a significant number of bruises on his body,” the release stated. Authorities said the injuries included “extensive bruising across the child’s back, stomach, sides, arms, legs, and face.”
The child lived with his mother, 27-year-old Karina Maria Burns, and his father, 27-year-old Johnathan McNeese. Police said neither parent could explain how the child sustained the injuries. After the child was taken to a hospital, doctors reportedly concluded that the injuries were consistent with abuse.
Neighbors told investigators there was a “constant level of chaos” coming from the family’s home. They also said authorities had responded to multiple welfare checks because of reports of a woman and child screaming.
Investigators later obtained a search warrant for the couple’s phones, where they uncovered numerous text messages, photos, and videos.
“Text message exchanges show that while McNeese was at work, Burns became angry when McNeese did not respond to her calls or messages,” the release read. “In apparent retaliation, Burns directed her anger toward the child by repeatedly shaking, striking, punching and threating to kill the child. Burns would then send McNeese photos and videos of the child upset and crying, documenting the abuse as it occurred.”
Police said this pattern occurred at least 11 times between May 2024 and April 2025. From May 2025 through June 4, 2026, investigators said the number of incidents increased to 69.
Burns was charged with two counts of child torture, six counts of third-degree assault, and one count of harassment. McNeese was charged with two counts of child endangerment leading to substantial harm.
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