SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida mother faced a judge after police said her 1-year-old died from bad burns.
Thirty-five-year-old Christina Hurt, a mother of six, appeared in bond court, Friday afternoon. She was charged with manslaughter after the death of her son.
The baby, identified as Ethan Coley, was found dead at a Southwest Miami-Dade home, Thursday, around noon.
Neighbors in the area described the panicked scene as they tried to save the little boy.
According to a police report, Hurt told officials that two of her children tried to bathe Coley on Wednesday at their home in Homestead when her “4-year-old son made the bathwater extremely hot, causing the victim to sustain severe burns.”
Instead of taking him to the hospital, Hurt tried home remedies. She gave Coley Tylenol and juice, the report stated, before she went to sleep.
Dixie Rogers, the child’s godmother, told 7News that Ethan’s death could have been prevented. “I begged the night before to take that baby to the hospital. She wouldn’t take him!” said Rogers.
On Thursday, she took Coley to Rogers’ house in the Goulds neighborhood in Southwest Miami-Dade, where he died. “That baby died in my arms,” Dixie Rogers said. “He was gasping for air. He was burned, all of his front side, all of his backside.”
Rogers is now furious with Hurt’s decision. “She needs to stay away and stay in jail because I did not deserve that and neither did the baby,” she said.
Hurt’s bond was set at $20,000.
This is not the first time Hurt has been in trouble for not getting help for an injured child. Back in 2014, she was arrested after one of her children suffered a skull fracture.
She was placed on probation and people close to her said it wasn’t that long ago that her children were returned to her care.
The children’s father was present for a hearing in juvenile court, but he’s not getting the five children. “I will place them in the custody of the Department of Children and Families,” said Judge Jason Dimitris.
The children will receive counseling as they grieve the death of their baby brother.
DCF has since launched an investigation.
Hurt remains behind bars.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.