In the annals of true crime, certain cases are remembered not only for their brutality but for a single, defining detail that encapsulates their horror. The case of Bahsid Mclean is one such story, a grim tale from the Bronx that gained international notoriety for a chilling act of digital depravity. In February 2013, Mclean murdered and dismembered his mother, Tanya Byrd, but it was what he did next that seared the case into the public consciousness: he posed for a selfie with her decapitated head, creating a ghastly digital trophy of his crime that would ultimately seal his fate.
A Gruesome Discovery in the Bronx
The horrific chain of events began to unravel on the morning of Tuesday, February 26, 2013. A man walking his dog in the Melrose neighborhood of the Bronx stumbled upon a disturbing sight—a heavy-duty plastic bag left on the sidewalk. Curiosity turned to horror when he discovered human remains inside and immediately contacted the New York City Police Department. As investigators canvassed the area, they found three more bags containing dismembered body parts scattered across four different locations within a few blocks.
The trail quickly led police to a nearby apartment building on Westchester Avenue, the home of 52-year-old Tanya Byrd, a home health aide and mother. Her family had been unable to reach her, and concern was growing. Inside the apartment, police were met with an overwhelmingly foul odor and a scene that confirmed their worst fears. The bathroom showed clear signs of a violent struggle and a meticulous, yet incomplete, cleanup. A two-foot-long power saw with bits of flesh and bone still attached was found, along with rubber gloves and bottles of bleach.
A Chilling Confession and a Digital Footprint
The primary person of interest was Byrd’s son, 23-year-old Bahsid Mclean, who lived with her. Mclean was taken into custody for questioning, where his story began to fall apart. Initially, he attempted to deflect blame, but the evidence against him was mounting. The most damning proof was discovered not at the crime scene, but within the memory of his own cell phone.
While examining the device, investigators uncovered a photograph that was both sickening and irrefutable. It was a selfie of Bahsid Mclean, smirking at the camera while holding up the severed head of his mother like a trophy. This single image removed any doubt about his involvement and provided a shocking glimpse into his mindset following the murder. During his confession, Mclean admitted to stabbing his mother in the neck after she told him he was a terrible father. The argument, he claimed, escalated after she woke him up in the middle of the night.
In a recorded confession, Mclean described the events with a disturbing detachment. "If you can kill somebody, you should be able to cut them up too," he reportedly told police. "If you can’t do that, if you don’t have the stomach for that, then you’re a coward." He explained that after killing her, he went to a local hardware store to purchase the power saw to dismember her body, a calculated act that would later undermine his defense team's claims of insanity.
A History of Violence and Mental Illness
As the investigation progressed, a portrait of Bahsid Mclean emerged as a deeply troubled young man with a long history of mental health issues and violent tendencies. Family members, including Tanya Byrd’s sister Cassandra, revealed that Mclean had been in and out of psychiatric care since he was a child. He had reportedly set fire to his own apartment as a boy and was known for his volatile behavior. Tanya Byrd herself had expressed fear of her son and was reportedly seeking ways to get him professional help just before her death.
His history included:
- A diagnosis of schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder.
- Multiple stays in psychiatric facilities and group homes.
- A prior arrest for assaulting a police officer.
Despite this documented history, Mclean had a child of his own and was living with his mother, who struggled to manage his behavior. This background became the central pillar of his legal defense, with his attorneys arguing that he was not mentally responsible for his actions. They contended that he was a victim of a broken mental health system that failed to provide him with the consistent and intensive care he desperately needed.
The Trial: Sanity vs. Culpability
The trial of Bahsid Mclean began in 2016, and the courtroom was presented with the grim details of the case. The prosecution, led by Assistant District Attorney Aaron Kaplan, argued that Mclean’s actions were deliberate and calculated, demonstrating a clear understanding of their wrongfulness. They pointed to his decision to purchase a saw specifically for the dismemberment and his attempts to clean the crime scene and dispose of the body parts as evidence of his culpability.
The infamous selfie became a key piece of evidence. The prosecution presented it to the jury as proof of Mclean’s depraved state of mind and his pride in the horrific act. "He is proud of what he did," Kaplan argued in his closing statement. "He is not the troubled, insane individual the defense wants you to believe he is."
In contrast, Mclean’s defense attorney, Lynn Calvacca, argued for an insanity defense. She portrayed him as a severely mentally ill man who "snapped" and was living in a world of delusions. Calvacca claimed that voices in his head told him to commit the murder and that he did not comprehend the moral or legal ramifications of his actions. The defense presented psychiatric experts who testified to Mclean’s long-standing mental disorders.
After deliberating, the jury rejected the insanity defense. On October 5, 2016, they found Bahsid Mclean guilty of second-degree murder and unlawful dissection of a human body. He showed little emotion as the verdict was read. A month later, he was sentenced to the maximum penalty: 25 years to life in prison.
A Legacy of Unimaginable Horror
The Bahsid Mclean case remains a chilling reminder of the dark intersections of domestic violence, severe mental illness, and the pervasive nature of modern technology. The act of taking a selfie with his victim elevated the crime from a tragic family murder to a viral story of unimaginable horror. It highlighted a new, disturbing dimension of criminality where perpetrators document their own atrocities, either out of a sense of pride, a detachment from reality, or a desire for notoriety. For the family of Tanya Byrd, the verdict brought a measure of justice, but the gruesome details and the infamous photograph left an indelible scar. The story of Bahsid Mclean is not just about a son who killed his mother; it is a cautionary tale about the devastating consequences when a troubled mind, left without adequate support, descends into an abyss of violence, leaving a trail of destruction and a haunting digital ghost in its wake.
