A Florida woman was arrested on Friday, October 18, for allegedly instructing her 10-year-old relative through messages in an online video game to drop a 2-month-old baby onto a tile floor and kill her adult guardians, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Tara Alexis Sykes, 36, has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated child abuse related to these messages.
The 10-year-old reported to investigators that she was terrified of Sykes and feared for her life if she did not comply with the instructions. While the adults were unharmed, the infant did sustain injuries.
The investigation began on October 17, after a nonprofit organization serving child abuse victims reported that the infant had suffered a skull fracture on September 26 due to being dropped by the girl.
Detectives discovered that the 10-year-old had been communicating with Sykes, who is a relative, via the online gaming platform Roblox at the time of the incident. The girl stated that she had created the Roblox account for Sykes.
According to investigators, Sykes directed the girl to kill the 2-month-old in various ways, including drowning, burning him with scalding water, and dropping him.
She also allegedly told the 10-year-old to murder her guardians and their adult daughter by cutting their throats while they slept and suggested setting their home on fire by soaking bedsheets with aerosol spray and igniting them.
The 10-year-old admitted to soaking the bedsheets as directed but did not carry out the arson. She also reportedly confessed to deliberately dropping the infant on the kitchen floor.
Sheriff Chip Simmons expressed his shock, stating, “I have been in Law Enforcement for over 40 years and have never seen anything quite like this. I am truly disturbed by the circumstances and the thought that anyone could think like this, let alone instruct these acts to be carried out.”
Sykes is currently being held without bond.
This troubling case marks Sykes’ second arrest this year. On May 28, she and her husband were taken into custody after admitting they were aware their 14-year-old daughter had become pregnant by a 20-year-old friend living with them. They were charged with child abuse for failing to report the known sexual battery.
The couple’s daughter, who was 31 weeks pregnant and malnourished, also told police that her parents had threatened to kill the 20-year-old if his grandmother did not pay them $10,000.
Both cases are currently pending.
