Mom who blamed toddlers’ deaths on vaccine now facing murder charges

Idaho officials arrested a 23-year-old woman last week and charged her with murder for the deaths of her twin toddlers last year. The grand jury indictment accused Andrea Shaw of suffocating her 18-month-old sons, Dallas and Tyson, in May 2025.

However, Shaw alleged the boys’ deaths were caused by early childhood vaccinations administered the day before they died. Shaw emerged as a strong activist against vaccinations over the last year and filed a federal lawsuit accusing the American Academy of Pediatrics of lying to parents about vaccine safety.

Officials arrested Shaw last Tuesday, less than a week after she gave birth via cesarean section about three weeks prematurely, court filings showed. Shaw will face two felony murder charges in Payette County, where she’s currently being held on a $2 million bond. Her bond also included a provision barring her from having contact with children.

Is there any evidence supporting Shaw’s claim? The twins received flu, hepatitis A, and DTaP shots during an April 2025 visit to the pediatrician, according to Shaw’s separate federal filing. Although the twins had received most of the routine childhood vaccines to that point, Shaw voiced concern to the pediatrician about family members having bad reactions to the flu shot.

The doctor allegedly dismissed the concerns. The following morning, Shaw brought the children to the emergency room with multiple symptoms. According to the filing, they were lethargic and struggled to move. Their lips also appeared blue and their eyes were sunken in.

The emergency room doctor documented the twins experiencing a post-immunization reaction. A week later, the boys were pronounced dead. Police immediately launched a homicide investigation against Shaw rather than investigating the post-immunization reaction documented in their medical records, according to the lawsuit.

A filing from Shaw’s attorney, Joseph Filicetti, requested the $2 million bond be reduced given her and her new baby’s health needs. Shaw is sweet, quiet, and reserved, Filicetti’s filing claimed. He added that she poses no threat and has continued to maintain her innocence against the accusations. Filicetti characterized the $2 million bond as punitive, arguing that if Shaw were truly a flight risk, she would have left the country by now.

Shaw was arraigned last Thursday, according to local news outlet KTVB.

—This post has been corrected to reflect that Andrea Shaw’s arraignment occurred last Thursday.