A Florida woman has been arrested after she allegedly instructed a 10-year-old boy to torture and murder a two-month-old baby after meeting the child online.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has charged 36-year-old Tara Alexis Sykes with attempted murder after she allegedly used the online game “Roblox” to communicate with a 10-year-old boy to convince him to commit horrific acts.
There is a special place in hell for this one. Save our taxes. Put it down Old yeller style
Escambia County Sheriff's Office deputies say an investigation revealed that Tara Sykes had instructed a 10-year-old to purposefully drop a 2-month-old on a solid tile floor in an… pic.twitter.com/RERgSF5fjL
— Qᴀɢɢ.ɴᴇᴡꜱ (@qaggnews) October 21, 2024
According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, Sykes told the child to use “various methods to kill the infant.”
“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 press release stated. “Additionally, Sykes had instructed the 10-year-old on how to kill the adults the 10-year-old was temporarily living with by cutting their throats with a knife while they slept, and burning their house by dousing bed sheets with aerosol spray and setting them on fire.”
“During the investigation, it was learned that the 10-year-old was communicating with Tara Sykes through the social media platform, Roblox. In the communication thread, Sykes instructed the 10-year-old on various methods to kill the infant,” the document continued.
Police were called by the Gulf Coast Kid’s House after a two-month-old infant suffered serious injuries after being dropped on the kitchen floor by the 10-year-old boy. According to authorities, the 10-year-old was not able to successfully burn the bed sheets, though he was able to douse the sheets with aerosol as he was instructed to do.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip W. Simmons spoke out about the incident, noting that he was “disturbed” and had never seen any crime this shocking.
“I have been in Law Enforcement for over 40 years and have never seen anything quite like this,” Simmons said. “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. There is something really wrong with her.”
Sykes has been charged with attempted murder while committing aggravated child abuse, and is being held in Escambia County Jail without bond. An investigation into her actions is still ongoing.
