Andrea Renee Shaw, a 23-year-old mother of three from Payette, Idaho, has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of her fraternal twins, Tyson and Dallas. The infants, aged 18 months, died in May 2025, just days after receiving routine vaccinations for Hepatitis A, DTaP, and influenza. Authorities allege Shaw suffocated the children with premeditation and malice aforethought. She faces a $2 million bond and was taken into custody five days after undergoing a Cesarean section for her newborn.
Shaw's lawyer, Joe Filicetti, vehemently denies his client harmed the children, stating that she loved them and that their deaths were a tragedy compounded by the murder charges. Filicetti contends that the vaccinations, not Shaw's actions, caused the twins to suffocate. He told The Spokesman-Review that he has not seen any evidence from the prosecution to support the charges and that Shaw would be vigorously defended.
Filicetti and Shaw agree that the twins died of suffocation, but they attribute it to a reaction to the vaccinations. "There's absolutely nothing my client did to injure her children," Filicetti stated.
Police were called to Shaw's home where the twins were found unresponsive in their shared bed. According to Shaw, the day after vaccinations, the twins became lethargic. She described one twin as appearing tired with a diminished abdominal girth and the other as unresponsive with eyes rolling back. She also reported the children experienced diarrhea and had a bluish tinge to their lips. Shaw's mother-in-law then took the infants to a hospital, and they were discharged days later. Her husband, Nathaniel, who was at work during the initial health crisis, stated the children went from being active to appearing to be dying within 24 hours.
Shaw recounted finding the twins unresponsive in their bed, stating they appeared as if they had passed in their sleep. She attempted to rouse Tyson and then called 911 after finding Dallas in a similar state. Nathaniel Shaw criticized the investigators, claiming they were disrespectful and attempted to pit him and Andrea against each other, insisting the deaths were not medically related and were due to asphyxiation.
Despite accusations of being anti-vaccine, Filicetti argued Shaw cannot be labeled as such because she followed the recommended immunization schedule for her children. He stated, "My client was getting all the vaccines for her children according to the vaccine schedule, and then there was a problem, and both of them died."
In January, the Department of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s office removed flu and Hepatitis A shots from routinely recommended vaccines for all children. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to classify the flu, Hepatitis A, and DTaP shots as safe and effective, with serious reactions being extremely rare.
Shaw denies all allegations. The Payette Police Department, with assistance from partner agencies, conducted a lengthy investigation. Police Chief Gary A. Marshall stated that the arrest is the result of this investigation and that the department is committed to seeking justice for the victims while upholding the integrity of the legal process. He emphasized that the charges are allegations and Shaw is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Investigators have not yet released further details regarding the alleged murder or a potential motive.
