A two-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten was found dead in an apartment on Allen Drive, off Carmichael Road, police said.
A family friend made the discovery and contacted police who arrived on scene around 3:30 p.m.
The toddler was pronounced dead on scene by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel.
Superintendent Paul Rolle, head of the Central Detective Unit, told reporters the boy’s mother left for work after preparing a meal for her two sons. The two-year-old boy and his five-year-old brother were left in the care of a man the mother knows, according to police.
Rolle said based on preliminary reports, the victim was allegedly punished with a beating sometime after he had eaten. He said the boy reportedly went to his bedroom to lie down, and a short while later he was beaten a second time.
In both incidents, the person who beat the child allegedly used a frying pan to administer the beatings.
“At this time another one of the friends of the family came by and the [person who allegedly beat the boy] left,” Rolle said.
“When she went into the room she met the child in an unresponsive state in the bed.”
When The Nassau Guardian arrived on scene distraught relatives were gathered around the two-storey complex.
A woman in a car in front of the home rocked back and forth, and raised her hands incessantly. Onlookers gathered as the child’s body was taken out of the house.
Rolle said the 30-year-old suspect was found on Allen Drive shortly after police arrived on scene. He was taken into custody and was expected to be questioned last night.
Police classified the unidentified boy’s death as a homicide.
By Royston Jones Jr
Guardian Staff Reporter
