Bartow couple charged with manslaughter from negligence after death of 3-year-old boy
A Bartow couple have been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child in the death of a 3-year-old boy.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives arrested Takesha Williams, 24, and Efrem Allen Jr., 25, on May 13, charging each with one count of negligent child abuse causing great harm, a second-degree felony, the PCSO said in a news release.
The State Attorney’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit Court upgraded the charges Friday to aggravated manslaughter of a child, a first-degree felony.
The Sheriff's Office gave this account from the arrest affidavit: Bartow Fire Rescue responded on May 12 at about 3 p.m. to a report of an unresponsive child at 1050 Golfview Ave., Apt. 1205. Responders found the boy connected to a ventilator breathing machine and detected no pulse.
The crew took the boy to an area hospital, where he died. Homicide detectives observed extensive injuries on the child, including a severely bloated belly and numerous open sores, the release said.
Detectives found extensive injuries and signs of trauma, including large avulsions on the boy’s buttocks, making his colon visible, according to the affidavit. Several abrasions found on his back were consistent with bed sores.
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Photographs were provided to a doctor at Bartow Regional Health, who said that the open sores were consistent with child neglect, the release said.
Detectives learned that the boy, whose name was redacted in the release, had been involved in a near drowning in the summer of 2020 at a vacation home in Davenport. The boy had been connected to a ventilator since then because of a health condition resulting from the incident.
In interviews, detectives learned that the boy lived with Williams and her other two children, ages 2 years and 10 months. Allen did not reside in the home but had been assisting Williams in taking care of the boy daily for the previous month, during which the wounds originated and progressed, the release said.
A home health nurse has been visiting the home since 2020, but the parents decided to switch health care companies in the previous one to two months, the release said. A nurse had not been to the home during that period.
Williams and Allen said they noticed the boy’s large, open sores but were afraid to contact anyone for fear that the Department of Children and Families would remove their children.
On the morning of May 12, Williams and Allen noticed that the boy’s stomach was bloated and that he was cold to the touch, the release said. A pulse oximeter was malfunctioning.
Williams waited until about 3 p.m. to call 911, the Sheriff's Office said.
Williams and Allen appeared before Judge Robert Griffin and were released May 14 on pre-trial bond. They were again in jail Friday, each on $100,000 bond.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Bartow couple charged with manslaughter after toddler's death
