JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man and woman were arrested on child neglect charges Tuesday, Sept. 10 after the woman's child was found unresponsive in their home and later died, according to police documents and the state attorney's office.
JSO was dispatched to the home of the incident, where officers found unresponsive 22-month-old Zamora Foe. The child was transported to Wolfson Children's Hospital in "life threatening condition," the arrest warrant states, and doctor's were "not optimistic" of her survival.
At the house, detectives interviewed the mother of the child, 20-year-old Zayla Goodwin, who reportedly stated she woke up that morning to her boyfriend, 22-year-old Nathaniel Davis, yelling and performing CPR on her child.
Goodwin told police Davis said he found the child unresponsive facedown on the mattress next to their bed. He then tried putting the child in the bathtub to wake her up, but was unsuccessful, according to Goodwin's comments stated in the warrant.
The mother told detectives her child fell in the bathtub about a week ago when Davis was giving her a bath, but she was not present for it. They had lived in Hilliard, Florida at the time and moved into their current home Sept. 5 with at least one other roommate.
The arrest warrant states Goodwin told detectives the child had difficulties walking after falling in the bath. She also said the child's lips became very red and swollen a day ago, but she believed it to be an allergic reaction, so she gave the child medicine, but it didn't work. The warrant says she told detectives the child was struggling with eating and drinking due to her swollen and painful mouth.
According to police documents, detectives found multiple bloody bandages and blankets in the residence along with bloody diapers in the trash can.
Goodwin reportedly told police she did not see any other injuries to the child aside from a bruise to her arm, back and head, which she said she received in the fall in the tub, according to the documents. Goodwin also told police she often changes the girl's diaper and clothing but had not seen any other bruising, injuries or blood.
A First Coast Child Protection Team member noted on the report that any reasonable caretaker "should have known to seek medical attention for a child in this condition."
Goodwin and Davis were arrested and charged with child neglect.
"The degree of anticipated pain experienced by the child, and the various fractures to [her] legs, the caretakers Goodwin and Davis failed to seek the medical attention that a reasonable caretaker should have under the circumstances," the warrant reads.
JSO's special assault and homicide units both responded to the scene "due to the child's injuries."
The child was later pronounced dead, according to the state attorney's office.
The death of the child is still under investigation, and charges could be upgraded for the couple, the state attorney's office also told First Coast News.
In addition to child neglect charges, Davis was arrested in January on domestic battery charges. He is due in court Oct. 1 for violating his parole.
