A toddler in Florida is dead after his mother allegedly left him tied to a chair for more than 15 hours as punishment. Rebecca Gussage-Johnston reportedly restrained her 2-year-old son, Eli, overnight because he was "acting out." He later died in the restraints.
Gussage-Johnston allegedly failed to help her son and watched him die.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department in Tampa announced murder charges against Gussage-Johnston Thursday after the medical examiner's office determined the child's death a homicide due to severe neglect.
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Eli was apparently misbehaving.
In a police report obtained by WFLA, Gussage-Johnston reportedly admitted to restraining Eli because he was "acting out" and screaming. According to police, the mother said she left the young boy strapped to the chair overnight for more than 15 hours. When she returned to the child the following day, she found the chair flipped over on the floor.
Even while Eli suffered seizures and was shaking, his mother allegedly did nothing.
The police report stated that Gussage-Johnston said she watched the young boy shaking on the ground but did not call 911, even though she had a working cellphone.
She told police she saw her son take his last breath, and he died in her arms. A concerned family member called 911 to report the distressed toddler, WFLA reported.
When authorities arrived, it was too late.
Sadly, according to the police report, Eli was dead before anyone could help him. Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to an RV in a truck lot at 10025 N US Highway 301 in Thonotosassa, according to documents obtained by Law & Crime. Gussage-Johnston reportedly lived in the RV with Eli, her 8-month-old daughter, and the children's father.
"Upon arrival, Deputies encountered the victim to be deceased and suffering from trauma to [his] head, a wound to [his] right thigh, and bruising throughout [his] extremity area," the affidavit reads, per Law & Crime. "Additionally, the victim was covered in dried vomit and fecal matter."
The mother was taken into custody immediately.
The sheriff's office announced new charges on Friday. The mother was initially arrested on May 19 on charges of aggravated child abuse resulting in great bodily harm and child neglect. Those charges were updated on June 14 after Eli's autopsy to murder in the first degree while engaged in aggravated child abuse.
"The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has unrelenting fervor in our pursuit of justice for innocent children hurt by criminals," Sheriff Chad Chronister noted in a Facebook post. "It is truly heart-wrenching to witness such senseless and preventable acts of violence against a small, innocent child. The tenacity of our detectives has allowed us to ensure this woman faces the consequences of her brutal actions."
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Some people who claimed to know the mother couldn't believe the allegations.
Several people commented on the sheriff's office's Facebook post, seemingly shocked.
"The fact I went to high school with her and she was one of my closest friends until I graduated …" someone wrote.
"she was a good friend to me in high school," another friend mentioned.
"The fact most of us went to high school together and most of us have children makes me sick to my stomach," a classmate lamented.
Gussage-Johnston is in jail, and court documents show she is being represented by a public defender. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with additional information should call the sheriff's office at 813-247-8200.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
