Christine Laverne Falling: The Florida Babysitter Murders
Background
Christine Laverne Falling was an American serial killer whose crimes took place in Florida between 1980 and 1982. Born Christine Laverne Slaughter on March 12, 1963, in Perry, Florida, she began working as a babysitter while still a teenager. Several children, and later an elderly man, died suddenly while they were alone with her. Because the early deaths appeared to have medical or accidental explanations, authorities did not immediately recognize the pattern.
Falling was eventually convicted of three first-degree murders. She also confessed to causing other deaths, although she was not prosecuted for every case connected to her. Her known and suspected victims were particularly vulnerable: five were very young children, and one was a 77-year-old man. Falling generally killed by obstructing a victim’s breathing with a blanket, pillow, or her hands. The first known victim, however, suffered a fatal head injury.
The Death of Cassidy Johnson
Two-year-old Cassidy Mae Marie Johnson became seriously ill while Falling was caring for her in Blountstown, Florida. On February 25, 1980, Cassidy was taken for medical treatment after Falling claimed that the child had passed out and fallen from her crib. Cassidy died three days later, on February 28, 1980.
The death was initially associated with inflammation of the brain, but an examination revealed a serious injury to Cassidy’s skull. A physician reportedly doubted Falling’s account and attempted to alert law enforcement, but the warning was not properly investigated. Cassidy’s death was therefore treated as an isolated tragedy rather than the beginning of a series of suspicious deaths. Falling later pleaded guilty to murdering her.
The Lakeland Deaths
After Cassidy’s death, Falling moved to Lakeland, Florida. Four-year-old Jeffrey Davis died while under her supervision in the early summer of 1980. Doctors listed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, as the apparent cause of death. Although myocarditis can be fatal, questions remained about whether the condition fully explained Jeffrey’s sudden death.
Three days later, members of Jeffrey’s family attended his funeral. Falling was asked to watch his two-year-old cousin, Joseph Spring. Joseph died only hours after being left in her care. His death was attributed at the time to a viral infection, and doctors considered whether the same illness might have affected Jeffrey. Exact calendar dates for the deaths of Jeffrey Davis and Joseph Spring have not been reliably preserved in publicly available case accounts, so they should not be presented as confirmed.
The Death of William Swindle
In 1981, Falling returned to Perry and began seeking work caring for older people. Seventy-seven-year-old William Swindle died in his kitchen on the first day that Falling was assigned to care for him. Falling later admitted responsibility for his death. However, the available historical accounts do not provide a consistently verified exact date or a detailed official reconstruction of how he was killed. She was not prosecuted for Swindle’s death.
The Murder of Jennifer Daniels
Eight-month-old Jennifer Evonna Daniels, the daughter of Falling’s half-sister, died in Perry on July 14, 1981. Jennifer had recently received routine vaccinations and was traveling with her mother and Falling. When Jennifer’s mother briefly left the child alone with Falling near a grocery store, the baby suddenly stopped breathing.
The death was initially considered a possible case of sudden infant death syndrome. Because Jennifer was an infant and there were no immediately obvious signs of an attack, Falling was not arrested at that time. She later admitted that she had deliberately suffocated Jennifer. Falling ultimately pleaded guilty to Jennifer’s murder.
The Murder of Travis Coleman
The investigation that finally exposed Falling began after the death of ten-week-old Travis DeWayne Coleman in Blountstown. Most contemporary summaries report that Travis was attacked on July 2, 1982, although some later records list his date of death as July 3. The medical investigation found internal injuries consistent with forceful suffocation rather than natural illness.
Unlike the earlier deaths, Travis’s injuries gave investigators physical evidence that a homicide had occurred. Falling was questioned, and the deaths of the other children who had been in her care were reexamined. She admitted killing Travis by interfering with his breathing and confessed to other murders. She claimed that she had heard a voice directing her to kill a baby, but psychiatric examinations did not prevent her from being held legally responsible.
Known and Suspected Victims
- Cassidy Mae Marie Johnson, age 2: Died February 28, 1980, after becoming critically ill in Blountstown, Florida. She suffered fatal head trauma while in Falling’s care. Falling pleaded guilty to her murder.
- Jeffrey Davis, age 4: Died in the early summer of 1980 in Lakeland, Florida. His death was originally attributed to myocarditis. Falling admitted involvement, but no reliably verified exact date is available in the surviving public accounts.
- Joseph Spring, age 2: Died in Lakeland, Florida, three days after Jeffrey Davis, while Jeffrey’s family was attending his funeral. His death was originally blamed on a viral infection. Falling admitted involvement, but the exact date is not reliably documented.
- William Swindle, age 77: Died in 1981 in Perry, Florida, on the first day Falling reportedly worked as his caregiver. Falling admitted responsibility, but she was not prosecuted for the death and a verified exact date is not widely available.
- Jennifer Evonna Daniels, age 8 months: Died July 14, 1981, near a grocery store in Perry, Florida. Falling later admitted suffocating her and pleaded guilty to her murder.
- Travis DeWayne Coleman, age 10 weeks: Fatally suffocated on July 2 or July 3, 1982, in Blountstown, Florida. Sources differ by one day on the recorded date. His autopsy led directly to Falling’s arrest and confession, and she pleaded guilty to his murder.
Confession and Conviction
Following the Coleman investigation, Falling confessed to killing several victims by suffocation. She described using blankets, pillows, or direct pressure to prevent the children from breathing. She reportedly said that she heard commands telling her to kill, but investigators and prosecutors also examined whether she enjoyed the attention and sympathy that followed each medical emergency and death.
On December 3, 1982, Falling pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Cassidy Johnson, Jennifer Daniels, and Travis Coleman. The plea agreement spared her from a possible death sentence. She received concurrent life sentences, meaning that the sentences were ordered to run at the same time. The deaths of Jeffrey Davis, Joseph Spring, and William Swindle were associated with her confession and the wider investigation, but they did not result in additional murder convictions.
Significance of the Case
The Christine Falling case demonstrated how a series of murders could remain hidden when victims were extremely young, medically vulnerable, or believed to have died from natural causes. Each early death was considered separately. Doctors saw apparent brain inflammation, heart disease, infection, or sudden infant death rather than a single criminal pattern. Falling’s movement between households and cities also made it more difficult for families, physicians, and police departments to connect the cases.
Only after Travis Coleman’s autopsy revealed clear evidence of suffocation did authorities review Falling’s history. The repeated presence of the same caregiver at six sudden deaths could no longer be dismissed as coincidence. Falling’s crimes remain a disturbing example of a trusted caregiver exploiting access to defenseless victims and of warning signs being missed until several lives had been lost.
