A Florida woman was arrested Friday and accused of instructing her 10-year-old relative, through messages in an online video game, to drop a 2-month-old child onto a tile floor and kill her adult guardians. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.
Tara Alexis Sykes, 36, was charged with attempted murder while pleading guilty to aggravated child abuse in connection with the messages. The girl told investigators she was terrified of Sykes and believed Sykes would kill her if she didn’t follow instructions, authorities said. The adults were ultimately unharmed, but the two-month-old boy was injured.
The sheriff’s office began investigating on October 17, when they received a report from a nonprofit organization that serves child abuse victims that the child had suffered a fractured skull on September 26 after the girl dropped him.
Detectives learned that the 10-year-old was speaking to Sykes, a family member, through the online gaming platform Roblox at the time of the incident, according to an arrest report obtained by JS. The 10-year-old told investigators she created the Roblox account for Sykes, the arrest report said.
Investigators said Sykes ordered the girl to kill the 2-month-old baby in several ways, including drowning him, scalding him with boiling water and dropping him on the ground, the report said.
Sykes also instructed the 10-year-old to kill her guardians and their adult daughter by slitting their throats while they slept, the report said. She allegedly gave instructions to set the house on fire by spraying the sheets with aerosol and setting it on fire.
The 10-year-old said she put out the sheets as Sykes instructed, but did not continue burning the house down, the report said. She also allegedly admitted to deliberately dropping the child on the kitchen floor.
“I have been in law enforcement for over 40 years and have never seen anything like this,” Sheriff Chip Simmons wrote in a statement. “I am truly disturbed by the circumstances and the thought that anyone could think this way, let alone order these acts to be carried out.”
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An attorney listed as representing Sykes in a separate criminal case did not immediately respond to JS.
Sykes and her husband were arrested earlier this year and charged with child neglect and endangerment after authorities said they allowed a 20-year-old man who impregnated a 14-year-old relative to live in their home. an arrest warrant from May. The case remains open and Sykes has pleaded not guilty.
Need help? In the US, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.