A Florida man identified as Travis Ray Thompson has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of a toddler.

The Florida man is accused of murder in the first degree while engaged in aggravated child abuse after the toddler, who was left in his car, was left with her spine "completely severed," according to a Law & Crime report.

The Marion County Sheriff's Office said that Thompson waited 30 minutes before he took her to the hospital. The Sheriff's Office issued a press release noting that Thompson applied "significant, gradual force to the victim's upper and lower body."

Fort Pierce's autopsy report also noted that the child died from traumatic injuries that resulted in "disarticulation of the lumbar spine." The autopsy report added that the toddler suffered large amounts of internal bleeding due to the injuries.

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Florida Man Severing Toddler's Spine

CBS 12 News reported that the case investigation started on May 3 when emergency room doctors responded to save the girl's life. However, the girl died three hours after she arrived at the hospital.

On the night of May 2, investigators said that the woman and the toddler stayed at Thompson's camper so she could help him in getting his car fixed the next day. Thompson then took the woman's oldest child to the school bus stop at 7 a.m. before returning to the camper.

The toddler's mother went to work at 9:30 a.m., and Thompson then took the girl down to the lake near the camper, according to investigators. He returned to the camper 15 minute later to use the bathroom and left the girl on a futon.

Thompson alleged that he heard a loud thud in the other room while he was in the bathroom. The arrest report then stated that he claimed to have found the toddler limp and "gurgling."

Investigation of Toddler Girl's Severed Spine Incident

NBC Montana report noted that Thompson continued to say that he had no idea how or why the little girl died. However, investigators learned later on that Thompson and his girlfriend, the children's mother, broke up a week before the murder. The mother of the children moved out of the camper they shared.

Detectives then found text messages that reflect Thompson's anger over the breakup. In addition, the mother reportedly told investigators that Thompson was angry about their breakup.

Detectives also said Thompson waited 30 minutes for the child's mother to arrive, and they both took the girl to the hospital. The Florida man also made eight phone calls instead of driving to the hospital, according to the arrest report.

The Florida man admitted to being the only person to have contact with the child. However, he denied physically harming her in any way.

Law enforcement officials noted that Thompson had also become a suspect in a 2019 child abuse investigation, where he claimed to have accidentally sat on the arm of a four-year-old child. He was not arrested in the case.

Thompson is currently at the Marion County Jail on no bond.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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