17-month-old girl’s death has been ruled a homicide, Mason County Coroner says
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- Mason County Coroner ruled 17-month-old Jennavieve Brown's death a homicide.
- Autopsy confirmed ligature strangulation as cause of death.
- Deputies arrested woman at scene; she now faces suspicion of first-degree murder.
The death of a 17-month-old girl who was found dead inside a car northeast of Shelton last week has been ruled a homicide by the Mason County Coroner.
Following a July 3 autopsy, the cause of Jennavieve Brown’s death has been determined to be ligature strangulation, according to the coroner’s social media post.
“The manner of death is classified as homicide,” said Coroner Jaime Taylor.
Brown was found dead on Tuesday, July 1, near Catfish Lake Lane in Mason County.
About 6:25 p.m. Tuesday, Mason County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a report of an unresponsive woman in a car in the driveway of a home on East Marjorie Lane in the Shelton area, according to KOMO news.
KOMO reports that deputies later found and stopped the car near the intersection of East Catfish Lake Lane and noticed the woman appeared to be disoriented.
“After seeing two empty child car seats inside the Hyundai, deputies searched the car, concerned about the safety of any children,” KOMO reports. They found the (17-month-old) girl covered with blankets and other items on the front passenger floorboards.
“Deputies said the girl had visible signs of trauma. She was removed from the car, and medics tried to save her life, but she could not be revived,” KOMO wrote.
The woman reportedly refused to cooperate with deputies and had to be restrained. The news outlet said she was taken to Mason General Hospital for evaluation and was later booked into the Mason County jail on suspicion of first-degree murder.
This story was originally published July 6, 2025 at 11:32 AM.
