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Remembering Lonzie | Four years since death of Jacksonville toddler Lonzie Barton

His disappearance united hundreds of people who waded through retention ponds and searched high and low for any signs of the toddler.

Wednesday marks four years since the death of 21-month-old toddler Lonzie Barton, whose body was found hidden on the Southside. 

His disappearance united hundreds of people who waded through retention ponds and searched high and low for any signs of the toddler.

On the early morning of July 24, 2015, at 2:16 a .m., Ruben Ebron, the child's caregiver, told police his car was stolen and that Lonzie Barton was inside the vehicle.

Ebron's car was found abandoned less than a mile away and as the story unfolded, it became apparent there was more to Lonzie Barton's disappearance.

Ebron and Lonzie Barton's mother, Lonna Barton, 26, were living together with the toddler and his 5-year-old sister at the Ravenwood Apartments at 8030 S. Old Kings Road. 

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Director Tom Hackney, who was chief of investigations at the time of the case, said the couple was on drugs and having sex in another room while Lonzie Barton was alone in a bathtub.

When the couple returned to the tub, they found the toddler face down in the water, dead.

"[Ebron] said he panicked and staged a kidnapping," State Attorney Angela Corey said in a press conference.

An Amber Alert was sent out and a weeks-long search commenced as hundreds of police officers and volunteers scoured the area searching for Lonzie Barton.

Ten days later, police concluded that the toddler was dead. Over 60 retention ponds were searched across Jacksonville in hopes of finding his body.

Family members believed Ebron was hiding something and repeatedly called for him to give more information about the child's disappearance.

Finally, Ebron admitted to dumping the boy's body in the Bayard area of Jacksonville's Southside. On Jan. 11, 2016, the toddler's boy was found under a stack of tires, police said.

"The Ruben Ebron I saw out there in a jumpsuit, a pair of socks and a pair of slides fighting through ankle-deep water to find that little boy that night -- that was the Ruben Ebron I wanted to see from the first day,” Hackney said.

Ebron and Lonna Barton were arrested in connection to the child's death.

Lonna Barton and Ruben Ebron

In court, Ebron pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter of a child as well as charges of child neglect, lying to police and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to 20 years in state prison. He would later be sentenced to an additional five years on drug charges.

Lonna Barton was sentenced to five years in prison for child neglect. 

Before handing down the sentence, Circuit Judge Mark Borello told Lonna Barton, "It is clear that your actions and behavior in this case, in no small part, resulted in a death sentence for your son."

She was later sentenced to a total of 12 years due to additional drug charges.

In April 2016, Lonzie Barton was finally laid to rest in a private ceremony. 

The toddler was described as a happy blond-haired, blue-eyed baby by family members.

In Feb. 2017, a report from the Duval County Medical Examiner revealed the toddler had suffered abuse, including rib fractures and blunt-force trauma to his ribs and skull near or at his time of death.

As tragic as Lonzie Barton's death was, deputies said it united a community who came together first out of a sense of duty and later in grief. In the end, Hackney said the community became Lonzie Barton's family.

More about Lonzie Barton

RELATED: Man known as Lonzie Barton's father released from prison

RELATED: New Lonzie Barton medical examiner report shows signs of major abuse injuries

RELATED: Losing Lonzie: An FCN Special One Year Later

RELATED: Active warrant issued for Ruben Ebron stemming from 2006 sex assault

RELATED: JSO, JFRD and other law enforcement honored for work during Lonzie Barton investigation by city

RELATED: Lonna Barton, mother of Lonzie Barton, moved to lawyer-recommended prison

RELATED: Attorney seeks to move Lonna Barton to aid her in becoming a 'productive citizen'

RELATED: Chris and Lonna Barton moved to different correctional facilities

RELATED: Lonzie Barton laid to rest on Tuesday

RELATED: Ruben Ebron sentenced to an additional 5 years on drug charges

RELATED: Lonna Barton pleads guilty to drug counts in Baker County

RELATED: Lonna Barton gets 5 years in prison for child neglect

RELATED: Lonzie's mother, Lonna Lauramore Barton, sentenced to 5 years in prison

RELATED: Lonna Barton sentenced to 5 years

RELATED: Baker County judge sets trial date for Lonna & Chris Barton

RELATED: Ebron almost led police to Lonzie Barton the day he went missing

RELATED: FDC: Ruben Ebron transferred to medical center from Duval County Jail

RELATED: Ruben Ebron gets 20 years in Lonzie Barton's death

RELATED: Ebron: Lonzie died in bathtub, we lied about kidnapping

RELATED: Ebron's sentence brings no closure to Barton family

RELATED: Disposition in Ebron case set for Friday

RELATED: Lonna Barton moved from Duval to Baker County Jail

RELATED: Lonna Barton pleads guilty to two counts, sentencing hearing pushed back

RELATED: 'We have found this child': Lonzie Barton search ends after 172 days

RELATED: Ebron led JSO to believed Lonzie Barton remains in Southside woods

RELATED: Trial of suspect in Lonzie Barton's disappearance delayed

RELATED: Hope not lost for police, community in search for Lonzie

 

  

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