A Florida mom allegedly used the online gaming platform Roblox to chat with a 10-year-old and try to get her to commit brutal crimes, including murdering an infant and her foster parents.
The alleged plot was uncovered by police officials after they were contacted by Gulf Coast Kids House, a nonprofit that conducts forensic interviews and medical examinations of children suspected to be victims of child abuse. The nonprofit reported about a two-month-old who suffered a skull fracture after being dropped on the kitchen floor by a 10-year-old.
In the arrest report, the 10-year-old claimed he was holding the "fussy" infant and was trying to find an adult when the baby fell. A subsequent investigation found that the 10-year-old dropped the baby at the behest of 36-year-old Tara Alexis Sykes. The perpetrator contacted the child through the online gaming platform Roblox, per NBC News.
The infant was brought to the hospital by the foster father and is expected to survive.
Mom Instructs 10-Year-Old To Kill Infant Through Roblox
Investigators noted that Sykes gave the 10-year-old different instructions to "kill the infant," the Escambia County Sheriff's Office said.
"Sykes instructed the 10-year-old to drown the infant in the bathtub, burn the infant with scalding water, and drop the infant on the floor to kill the infant," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
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Furthermore, authorities also found that Sykes had instructed the 10-year-old to murder the adults who had been temporarily serving as her foster parents by slitting their throats and using aerosol spray to douse their bedsheets before lighting them on fire.
Authorities noted that the child had doused the bedsheets but was not able to set them on fire.
Court documents showed that both the 10-year-old and the infant are related to Sykes.
Charges Against Sykes
Authorities arrested the 36-year-old mom and charged her with one count of attempted murder while engaged in aggravated child abuse. She is being held without bond.
It is important to note that Sykes was already facing child abuse charges prior to the incident. The prior charges were imposed after she failed to report a "known sexual battery" in connection to her 14-year-old daughter, who had been impregnated by a 20-year-old living in their home.
