TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Florida woman has been arrested and charged with the murder of a 3-year-old boy.
Tallahassee Police arrested 23-year-old Te’Lea Jefferson Tuesday, charging her with homicide and aggravated battery on a child.
Police said in a news release that a local hospital called officers to report the child’s “suspicious death.”
“The initial information provided to doctors indicated the toddler fell at home. However, the victim’s injuries and evidence at the scene did not appear to be consistent with that version of events,” officers said.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, investigators said Jefferson struck the child with an object, leading to the child’s death.
WCTV reports that according to an arrest affidavit, Jefferson initially told police that the boy fell after standing on the sink while brushing his teeth. Jefferson claimed the sink broke the boy’s fall and broken pieces of porcelain cause the child’s cuts.
However, officers said Jefferson later admitted to hitting the boy with a tire iron several times.
Investigators said when asked if she had used physical punishment on the boy before, Jefferson said he was stubborn and “often required more strikes or blows than his older sibling,” the affidavit says.
Jefferson is being held without bond and is set to make another court appearance on Thursday.
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