A Marion County man was arrested and faced second-degree murder charges in the death of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old child.
On Feb. 19, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about an unresponsive child identified as PB at a home on NE 44th Ave.
Detectives said the child’s mother, JK, left the home that morning while all her children were still asleep to run some errands.
She said around 10:30 a.m., she called JC, 32, to check on the children. She could hear Brown in the background, shouting “I love you, Mommy,” and noted that the child did not sound distressed.
Kendrick told deputies that she had been dating C since October 2025, and they had been living together since January. She also said he was responsible for the children’s baths, meals and diaper changes.
After she hung up with C, the report said the two continued their conversation over text, but once he stopped responding, she became alarmed and decided to FaceTime C around 10:58 a.m.
That’s when he told her that Brown was unresponsive.
Kendrick told deputies that she asked him to put the child on the phone, and when he did, Brown looked “pale and limp,” her eyes were “barely open,” and her under eyes were “very dark and gray in color.”
According to deputies, K asked C what happened and told him to call 911, but he did not provide answers or make the call.
When she got home, the child was sitting limp in a high chair and cold to the touch, according to the report.
Deputies said the child had bruises on her chest that Kendrick confirmed were not there the night before. She also had ligature marks on her ankles and wrists.
A witness, who was supposed to come over to make a repair at the home, called 911, which was 40 minutes after K learned her daughter was unresponsive. The report said the witness also attempted CPR on the child.
The report said K could not explain why she or C did not call emergency crews.
One of the other children in the home told deputies that his step-dad punched the child “very hard” in the chest, but did not witness the encounter.
When C spoke with investigators, they said his initial explanation contradicted K’s statements. Eventually, deputies said, C admitted to causing B’s injuries and told them that he “messed up” and was a “terrible person.”
He told deputies that he would restain the child’s hand and legs at night to keep her from putting her hands down her diaper.
That morning, the arrest report said, he went to pick up B from out of the playpen, when she started “flailing and kicking,” causing him to drop her on the ground while she was still tied.
The report said B sounded like she was gasping for air after she hit the ground, so C said he “popped” the child three times on the chest, causing the bruises.
On the third hit, C told deputies that she appeared to stop breathing and said he did not call 911 because he was scared.
The autopsy report found that the child suffered blunt force trauma to the head that was only visible underneath the skin. Her death was also ruled a homicide.
C was initially arrested for aggravated child abuse in connection with B’s death on Feb. 20. Now, he was additionally charged with second-degree murder.
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Source: news4jax
