Mother of girl found dead off Lincoln County highway pleads not guilty to murder

By The Oregonian/OregonLive

NEWPORT — The mother of the young girl found dead in 2020 along a muddy riverbank in Lincoln County pleaded not guilty Monday to a single count of aggravated murder.

Shawna Mae Browning, 29, was extradited from Detroit, Mich. where she was arrested in November in the death of 9-year-old daughter Hayley Mae Coblentz. Lincoln County Jail logs show Browning was booked Friday and is being held without bail.

The arrest of Browning and her longtime companion, Lauren Harrison, 34, came after a nearly yearlong effort to identify the girl and determine the circumstances of her death. She was never reported missing and had no record of schooling or involvement with Oregon’s child welfare system, authorities said.

Browning was arraigned before Lincoln County Circuit Judge Sheryl Bachart and entered a not guilty plea. She is represented by Dean Smith and Greg Scholl, public defenders with Metropolitan Public Defender.

Hayley’s body was first discovered on the morning of Dec. 10, 2020, by a motorist who had stopped at the rest area off Oregon 18. Her body had been placed in a duffel bag and left along the Salmon River, about 75 to 100 yards from the rest area parking lot on the eastbound side of the highway. Her remains had been there for 30 to 60 days, authorities said.

Police tracked Browning and Harrison to Detroit, where they were taken into custody Nov. 30 during a traffic stop. Harrison also faces allegations of aggravated murder but has not yet arrived in Oregon to face charges.

Aggravated murder is the only crime in Oregon that carries a possible death sentence. It applies to murders where the victim is younger than 14 and was killed in a premeditated act.

In an email to The Oregonian/OregonLive, Lincoln County District Attorney Lanee Danforth declined to say whether she would pursue the death penalty for the women. She said she would answer the question after presenting the case to a grand jury. She said she appointed two special prosecutors from the Oregon Department of Justice to handle the case.