3-year-old girl died as her mother waited over half an hour before calling 911 because she was getting a treatment at a beauty salon after her boyfriend left the girl “pale and limp”; couple charged
Florida – In a shocking incident out of Florida, a 26-year-old mother, identified as J. Kendrick, and her 32-year-old boyfriend, identified as J. Coombs, are now facing serious criminal charges after the tragic death of a 3-year-old girl who was left unresponsive inside her home while her mother was at a beauty salon.
Authorities say the child’s mother, Kendrick, has been charged with two counts of child neglect after investigators concluded that she had been aware of ongoing abuse inside the household but failed to act. Her boyfriend, Coombs, faces far more severe allegations. He had already been charged with aggravated child abuse, and investigators later added a murder charge after evidence suggested that his actions directly caused the child’s death. The charges stem from the death of Kendrick’s 3-year-old daughter, who was found unresponsive inside the family’s home. According to investigators, the child had suffered abuse, restraint, and physical violence before ultimately losing her life.
The sequence of events that led to the little girl’s’s death began while Kendrick was getting her nails done at a beauty salon. During that time, she made a FaceTime call to Coombs, who was at home watching her children. What started as a routine call quickly turned alarming. Coombs told Kendrick that her young daughter was unresponsive. Just minutes earlier, everything at home had appeared normal, leaving Kendrick confused and alarmed. “What the f— do you mean? Put her on the phone,” Kendrick allegedly said during the call. Instead of placing the child on the phone, Coombs turned the camera toward the girl. According to a probable cause affidavit, the little girl appeared “pale and limp,” and her eyes were “somewhat but barely open.”
Despite seeing her daughter in that condition, authorities say Kendrick did not immediately call emergency services or leave the salon. Investigators say she continued with her appointment and finished getting her nails done before heading home. During the drive back, she reportedly called both Coombs and her own mother. By the time she arrived at the home, the child was still in critical condition. Investigators say the victim was sitting in a high chair, motionless. “My baby is gone,” Kendrick reportedly shouted. “Call 911.” Coombs then contacted emergency services. By that point, authorities estimate roughly over half an hour had passed since the girl first appeared unresponsive.
Deputies with the Sheriff’s office responded around noon on February 19 to a home after receiving a report of an unresponsive child. Paramedics rushed the 3-year-old to the hospital, but doctors were unable to save her. Investigators quickly began examining what had happened inside the home during the hours before the child’s death. Deputies soon determined that Coombs had been alone with the children when the abuse occurred. Authorities said she had visible injuries and ligature marks on her wrists and feet, suggesting she had been tied up. Initially, Coombs claimed the girl had simply woken up “groggy.” However, that explanation began to unravel as investigators questioned him about the marks and injuries on the child’s body. According to deputies, he eventually admitted that he had restrained the young girl the night before using a robe tie and painter’s tape. He said the restraints were meant to stop her from reaching into her diaper.
Investigators say Coombs also admitted to picking the child up while she was still bound and dropping her onto the floor, causing her to gasp for air. He further acknowledged punching and hitting her before realizing he had taken it too far. Authorities say Coombs later described striking the girl in the chest several times. When she went limp, he realized the situation had become deadly. Despite this, he never contacted emergency services, later claiming he was afraid. During the investigation, deputies also learned that another child in the home had allegedly been restrained with handcuffs. According to police, that child was still handcuffed at the time of their sister’s death, and Kendrick allegedly removed the handcuffs before calling 911.
As detectives continued their investigation, disturbing details about the household began to emerge. Kendrick initially told investigators she had never seen Coombs abuse the children. But after receiving her Miranda rights during a later interview, she reportedly admitted she had ignored troubling behavior to maintain the relationship. She told investigators she had “overlooked a lot for the sake of the relationship.” Authorities also noted that the 3-year-old girl appeared “significantly thinner” than she had been months earlier. The other children in the home—ages 9, 6, 4, and 1—also appeared underweight. Kendrick reportedly told investigators that Coombs enforced strict rules about eating, which led to noticeable weight loss among the children.
Family members who arrived after the emergency also described disturbing scenes inside the home. The victim’s great-aunt, T. Harless, who owns the trailer where the incident occurred, said she attempted to help when she arrived. She recalled that Coombs was standing nearby with his arms folded and appeared to be doing nothing while the child lay unresponsive. Harless attempted CPR while noticing troubling signs on the child’s body, including bruises and unusual injuries. One of the victim’s older siblings then described what had happened, telling her, “He killed her. He punched her in the chest and he punched her in the wall.” Harless later said she believes the children had been repeatedly mistreated and that warning signs had gone unnoticed. She said the children had slipped through the cracks of the child welfare system and had been failed by the adults responsible for their care.
Following the investigation, deputies arrested Coombs and Kendrick. Authorities confirmed that Coombs was the only adult present in the home when the fatal abuse occurred. Coombs now faces a murder charge in addition to aggravated child abuse. Kendrick faces two counts of child neglect for allegedly allowing the abuse to continue and failing to protect her children. Both defendants are currently being held at the county jail without bond as the case moves through the legal system.
