A Texas mother has been charged with felony injury to a child after allegedly slamming her young daughter’s head into a wall during a fit of anger, leaving the girl with a black eye, and later trying to cover it up by telling her children to lie, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The Alleged Assault
Authorities say Katherine Crosby, 39, was arrested on July 9 and booked into the Tyler County Jail. She posted a $125,000 bond the following day.
The case began on June 6, when a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigator noticed that one of Crosby’s daughters had a swollen, bruised black eye. When questioned, the child explained that in her home, “when someone gets angry, they get punched, their nose gets broken, they get black eyes, or their head gets banged into the door.”
She directly identified her mother as the person who caused her injuries. According to the affidavit:
Crosby placed the girl in a corner as punishment.
She then allegedly grabbed her daughter by the ponytail and slammed her head into a wall, causing the injury.
The child said her mother did not give her medical care or even ice for the swelling.
The victim also stated this was not the first time she had been hurt this way.
Mother’s Admission to Investigators
When interviewed by investigators, Crosby allegedly admitted to the assault. The affidavit says she told police:
“Yes, I did it,”
and even demonstrated how she had slammed her daughter’s head into the wall, matching the child’s description. She reportedly asked investigators, “What—I cannot do that?”
Officers informed her that such actions were considered child abuse and illegal.
Telling Children to Lie
On June 26, the victim and her siblings were interviewed at the Garth House for Forensic Interviews. Before the sessions began, the children revealed that Crosby had coached them to lie and deny the abuse.
According to investigators:
Crosby told her injured daughter to claim she had “fallen on a brick.”
The siblings said their mother had told them to back up the false story.
During her interview, the victim asked: “Wait—was I supposed to say that I tripped on a brick? Because that is what Mom said to say.”
Attempt to Recant
The very next day, during a CPS meeting, Crosby allegedly tried to walk back her confession. She requested the children be re-questioned in her presence, insisting they would say she hadn’t caused the injury.
“I want you to ask the girls again, in front of me, what happened to [the victim’s] eye, because they will all tell you that I did not do anything,” Crosby allegedly said.
Katherine Crosby now faces a felony child injury charge after both admitting to the assault and attempting to cover it up. With children providing consistent testimony against her and investigators noting prior abuse patterns, the case highlights the seriousness of child protection efforts in Texas. Crosby remains free on bond as the legal process continues.
