TALLAHASSEE, Fla – Police recently arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of murdering a child cared for by his girlfriend.
According to the Tallahassee Police Department, on the morning of June 23, officials responded to a home on Saxon Street after receiving a report of a child who was not breathing. Officials immediately attempted to revive the one-year-old, but she was pronounced dead at the hospital.
An autopsy revealed the victim had suffered severe injuries, “including multiple strikes to the head with a closed fist that ultimately caused the child’s death.” Further investigation revealed that Deric Young, the babysitter’s boyfriend, was allegedly caring for the victim at the time.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by WCTV-TV, Young eventually admitted to officials that he punched the 1-year-old multiple times after his girlfriend, the child’s original babysitter, left for work. The victim’s twin brother was reportedly present in the room during the incident but was not physically harmed.
Young was arrested on charges of murder and aggravated child abuse and is currently being held in the Leon County Jail.
