A Clearwater mother charged with killing her 15-month-old son has been found competent to stand trial.
Shanna Whitton, 32, faces eight counts in connection with the death of her son, Matthew Whitton, KWCH reported. The charges include one count of first-degree murder, one count of child abuse, one count of aggravated child endangerment, two counts of arson and three counts of aggravated arson.
An arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 7.
The competency ruling follows two separate evaluations. A judge first ordered an evaluation in December 2025, and Whitton was found competent in February, according to KSN. A second evaluation was ordered Aug. 27 by Judge Jeff Syrios, according to KAKE. Court proceedings had been suspended while COMCARE completed that evaluation.
In April, Whitton was transferred to a state hospital under a care and treatment case, according to Sedgwick County court documents reported by KSN. She was to remain in custody and be transferred back to the Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility after treatment.
How Matthew died
On Aug. 25, 2025, authorities responded to an apartment in Clearwater after a report of an unconscious 15-month-old who had reportedly choked on food, according to KWCH. Matthew was taken by EMS to a Wichita hospital in extremely critical condition. He died at the hospital on Aug. 28, 2025.
An autopsy was performed Aug. 31, 2025. The final report, completed Jan. 14, determined the cause was complications of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, a serious brain condition caused by lack of oxygen, according to KWCH. The autopsy said the condition resulted from "an intentionally inflicted asphyxiation event." The manner of death was ruled a homicide.
No food was found anywhere in the boy's airways, according to the autopsy report as detailed by KSN. The medical examiner also found bleeding in both eyes, KSN reported.
Prior incidents and arson charges
Whitton also faces arson and aggravated arson charges tied to a July 26, 2025, fire in Matthew's bedroom while he was inside, according to KWCH. Investigators determined the fire was intentionally set using a baby blanket placed next to the crib, which then spread to the blinds and curtains, KSN reported.
Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter, speaking after the murder charge was filed in April, referenced several incidents in which police or fire personnel responded to Whitton's Clearwater apartment. Easter said that after multiple incidents involving choking and a near-drowning, investigators suspected a bigger issue, according to KWCH.
Matthew's autopsy report stated the family had an "extensive history" with the medical system, the Kansas Department for Children and Families and law enforcement, according to KAKE. The report documented repeated hospitalizations for Matthew, including a near-drowning in June 2025 and an asphyxia event in October 2024.
The autopsy also referenced a "history of sibling death under similar unclear circumstances," KSN reported. Whitton had a daughter, Gypsy Rose Whitton, who died in July 2024 at age 2 after reportedly choking. The coroner ruled that death accidental, but the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office has reopened the case for further review, according to KSN.
Whitton's attorneys have said that allegations are not evidence and that Whitton is presumed innocent until proven guilty, KSN reported. No statement from the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office regarding the competency ruling appeared in available reports.
Whitton's bond is set at $500,000, according to KSN.
