JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WFLA) — A Jacksonville couple has been charged following the demise of a younger little one who authorities mentioned suffered a number of accidents and had methamphetamine of their system.
Zayla Goodwin, 20, faces one depend of aggravated manslaughter of a kid; whereas Nathaniel Davis, 23, has been charged with first-degree homicide, two counts of sexual battery, aggravated little one abuse and tampering with proof, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Workplace reported.
Investigators mentioned the toddler’s “brutal demise” occurred in September 2024. Preliminary experiences indicated there was a medical emergency at a house on Taurus Circle North. The kid was rushed to Wolfson Youngsters’s Hospital, the place docs mentioned they discovered a number of accidents.
The sheriff’s workplace mentioned the toddler handed away eight days later, on Sept. 18, 2024.
The demise was formally dominated a murder on Dec. 4, 2024, with the Medical Examiner stating that the kid had died from blunt power trauma. Investigators additionally discovered traces of meth within the toddler’s system, in accordance with the sheriff’s workplace.
An in depth investigation ensued, and officers mentioned Goodwin and Davis had been taken into custody for the kid’s demise on Thursday, March 20. A grand jury indicted Davis on first-degree homicide the identical week.
“The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Workplace will work with the State Lawyer’s Workplace to get the harshest punishment attainable for this heinous crime towards an harmless little one,” authorities wrote in a social media publish Friday. “Youngsters are our group’s most valuable asset.”
Anybody who suspects abuse is obligated to report it, the sheriff’s workplace added. The state’s little one abuse hotline could be reached by calling 1-800-96-ABUSE.
