‘The worst cry I had ever heard’: Father who posted Christian dad tips online sentenced for fatally shaking his 4-month-old

LINCOLN, Neb. (TCN) -- A 36-year-old man has been sentenced to 65 to 80 years in prison for the death of his 4-month-old daughter in August 2025.

On Aug. 14, 2025, Ryan Greenwood dialed 911 to inform them his daughter was dead, KOLN reports. He told responding officers he had been playing rough with the child the night before, which caused her to cry uncontrollably. He claimed he gave her a bottle and put her to bed and that the child’s mother, Tanya Greenwood, 28, found her unresponsive the following morning.

In her own interview, Tanya Greenwood said that she got home from an errand the previous day to the sound of “the worst cry I had ever heard.” She said she wanted to seek medical treatment for the baby, but her husband refused, according to KOLN. An autopsy determined that the child’s death was caused by a brain injury due to shaking.

An investigation revealed that Tanya Greenwood had asked her husband about the child’s injuries in the past, had seen him shake the baby, and had conducted online searches regarding shaken baby syndrome in the days before the death, KOLN reports.

According to court records obtained by People, Ryan Greenwood was arrested Aug. 26, 2025, and Tanya Greenwood was arrested Aug. 28, 2025.

The investigation also found that Ryan Greenwood posted videos to Facebook and YouTube about topics related to Christianity and being a “pro dad,” Law & Crime reports. In June 2025, he reportedly made a post that read, “If you’re the one who takes care of your infant at night, clean the bottle after they’re done eating. Because a clean vessel is ready for its next use. And that’s exactly what Jesus Christ does for us on the cross. … So you can trust him that every single time that you make a mistake he will cleanse you from the inside out if you come to him with repentance, asking not just for forgiveness but a way to turn around and change your life.”

Ryan Greenwood was sentenced on May 8 for intentional child abuse resulting in death and has 245 days of credit for time served, according to KOLN. On March 25, Tanya Greenwood was ruled not competent to stand trial but has another competency hearing scheduled for May 14.

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