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Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested Tania McGowan, a 23-year-old mother, for child neglect and child abuse. Her infant died on December 11 after being found unresponsive. Medics found out that the baby was in an “emaciated” state at the time of his death.
Trigger Warning: This article contains details related to child abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
According to an arrest report, the charges against Tania McGowan come after the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department visited the woman’s Duval Road residence. The five-month-old boy was taken to the University of Florida Health, where he was found unresponsive. He was then pronounced deceased.
Reacting to the jarring incident, one netizen wrote online:
Tania McGowan abused her son days before his death
During questioning, Tania McGowan revealed that her son fell asleep at 8 pm and that she did not check on him during the night. When she checked on her child at 2 pm the next day, she found her son unresponsive and cold to the touch.
Medical practitioners found the infant’s condition extremely concerning. They mentioned that the baby was malnourished and had no evidence of food in his stomach. They also revealed that the late infant weighed only seven pounds at the time of his death. Investigators revealed that the child appeared to be:
“Extremely malnourished to the point that the victim’s stomach was caved and his rib cage protruded. The victim’s face was thin and his cheeks were sunken in.”
Looking at the infant’s condition, medical staff requested the police to investigate his death. The medical examiner conducted an autopsy into the child’s death, but the results are still pending. During the investigation, law enforcement found surveillance footage that showed Tania McGowan abusing her child.
The arrest report revealed that she was seen laying down her son, who was covered with a blanket on a couch. She then picked him up and violently slammed him back onto the couch. The report also revealed:
“She grabs the victim by the head and face and forcefully twists the victim’s head to the side. She then covers the victim’s head with the blanket and begins to forcefully strike the victim on the back repeatedly with an open hand.”
The document also revealed that McGowan twisted the infant’s head and struck him “forcefully” on the back. She reportedly put a large throw pillow over the child’s head before walking away.
Netizens react to Tania McGowan abusing her child to death
Internet users were left immensely disturbed by the incident. Many slammed the mother for her parenting skills. Some felt sympathetic towards her by claiming that she might have been experiencing post-partum depression when she abused her child.
However, netizens clapped back at the mental health diagnosis by stating there was no reason for her to abuse her child violently. A few comments online read:
Law enforcement also found that the infant used to live with his father, however, McGowan gained custody of her child after the father moved to Texas in October earlier this year. It was also found that the victim had never visited a doctor during his lifetime.
Tania McGowan is being held on a $1.5 million bond.
