Witnesses watched in horror as mother threw baby against fence

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (FOX 13) - A Pasco mother is behind bars after witnesses watched her throw her 10-month-old child against a fence outside of a Pinellas Park apartment. 

Shannon Wixon's 11-year-old daughter was outside playing with a friend when they saw 25-year-old Natalee Sesler abusing her son in a fit of rage.

"They came running into the house and they told me, 'There's a lady over here that just threw her baby against the wall,'" recalled Wixon, who lives at the apartments. 

The two girls said they witnessed Natalee Sesler chuck the baby at a wooden fence, and then proceed to throw a metal rake at his head.

"I was like, 'Are you being serious?' They said 'yes,' and I jumped up and ran out here," Wixon explained.

Wixon made it outside in time to watch the rest of the disturbing scene unfold. 

"I came out and looked behind the fence of apartment one, and that's when I'd seen the lady sitting there and her child was laying over a lawn chair, hanging upside down pretty much, screaming, crying," she said. "She was just sitting there not doing anything."

Wixon called 911. Sesler tried to make an escape, but not before blaming the incident on the child. 

"She shook the baby and said, 'This is what you get for crying, this is what we get for you crying.' And then she took off walking," Wixon said.

Pinellas Park police eventually caught up with Sesler, who was wearing only a shirt and underwear while attempting to board a nearby bus. 

They said the whole incident began because she was angry her 10-month-old wouldn't stand up.

"It's sad," Wixon said. "I knew the baby was under 1 year old, just helpless."

Authorities said drugs may have played a role in the disturbing abuse. 

While neighbors said they don't know Selser, since she was only visiting the area from New Port Richey, but it was obvious she needed help. 

"Clearly she was not in her right mind at all," said Wixon.

Sesler is currently behind bars at the Pinellas County Jail. She has been charged with child neglect, aggravated assault, resisting an officer without violence and violation of probation.