A 25-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder and aggravated child abuse following the death of a one-year-old child in Tallahassee, the Tallahassee Police Department announced Tuesday night.
First responders were dispatched around 9:15 a.m. on June 23 to a residence in the 1700 block of Saxon Street after receiving a report of a child who was not breathing. Despite immediate life-saving efforts, the child was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
“Initially treated as a death investigation, detectives quickly uncovered signs of foul play,” a TPD spokesperson wrote in an online incident alert. “An autopsy revealed the child had suffered severe injuries, including multiple strikes to the head with a closed fist that ultimately caused the child’s death.”
TPD’s Violent Crimes Unit took over the investigation, which revealed that the child had been left in the care of Deric Young, the boyfriend of the woman hired to babysit the child, the night before the incident.
Based on the autopsy findings and additional evidence, detectives developed probable cause to arrest Young. He now faces charges of murder and aggravated child abuse.
Tips about the case can be submitted by calling TPD at 850-891-4200 or anonymously through Crime Solvers at 850-574-TIPS.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee Police: Florida man accused of killing toddler in His care