Lakeland man charged with murder in 23-month-old boy's death

A Lakeland man has been charged with killing a toddler after exchanging 67 Instagram messages with the child's mother as the boy struggled to breathe.

Lakeland police arrested Bobby Curry Jr., 20, on Friday evening. He faces one charge of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated child abuse. Curry is being held in the Polk County Jail.

"It's unconscionable and unfathomable for almost two and a half hours to go by from the first signs Ezekiel was injured until Mr. Curry decided to notify 911," Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor said.

Taylor said the police department received a call about 5:25 p.m. March 5 notifying them there was an unresponsive child. Officers arrived at a Kansas Avenue residence to find 23-month-old Ezekiel Cotto-SaintFleur without a pulse lying on a bathroom floor. The officers began performing CPR until the Lakeland Fire Department arrived.

"We were not sure if Ezekiel was going to make it or not," Taylor said. "We knew he was in very, very, very grave condition."

The toddler was transported to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, then to Tampa General Hospital with critical injuries. On March 8, Ezekiel died at the hospital.

Taylor said Curry told police he was alone babysitting the toddler on March 5 while the mother was working. The couple had been in a relationship for four months and moved in together at the Kansas Avenue residence about two weeks prior. Curry is not Ezekiel's biological father.

Taylor said Curry told officers that between 2 and 3 p.m., he gave Ezekiel a bath because the boy had urinated while in bed. Upon getting Ezekiel out of the bath, Curry told police one of the couple's puppies leaped on the toddler causing him to fall backward and hit his head on the bathtub and floor mat.

Curry told police Ezekiel tensed up, but was still breathing after the accident, Taylor said. Curry put the toddler in his bed to rest and did not call 911.

About 3:15 p.m., Curry told police he noticed Ezekiel was not breathing, Taylor said. Curry put the toddler back on the bathroom floor where he gave chest compressions and some air, Taylor said. Curry told police that Ezekiel began breathing again. Still, Taylor said there was no call made to 911. Police have evidence showing Curry messaged the child's unnamed mother on Instagram at 3:20 p.m. and began to describe the toddler's physical injuries. One of the questions Curry asked the mother was whether it was possible for a child to go into cardiac arrest, Taylor said.

Between 2:55 and 5:25 p.m., Taylor said police found Curry and the child's mother exchanged 67 Instagram messages about Ezekiel's medical conditions before the mother said to call 911.

Lakeland detectives interviewed doctors at Lakeland Regional Health and Tampa General who said Ezekiel's "injuries were not consistent with the severity of the physical injuries observed." Taylor said medical professionals guessed Ezekiel was without oxygen for at least 45 minutes.

An autopsy performed by the 10th District Medical Examiner's Office on March 11 determined Curry's statement that a dog knocked Ezekiel over was not consistent with the child's injuries. The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma from fatal injuries to the front of the toddler's head with some minor bruising on the back of his head, and ruled a homicide.

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"None, zero. Absolute none. There's absolutely no reason," Taylor said. "I get it that he [Curry] was probably overwhelmed. There were at least two puppies in the house, he's only 20 years old — I get all that. But common sense will tell you, being a human being will tell you, if another human is in distress, pick up the phone and call 911."

Ezekiel's mother, whose name has not been released by police, does not currently face any charges. Taylor said police are still looking into the matter, but she is being cooperative.

This is the second child death Lakeland police are investigating this month, with the 3-year-old fatally shot on Cambridge Cove Circle. It is the second case in Polk this month where a man has been arrested for injuring or beating a young child to death, following a 4-month old who the Polk County Sheriff's Office said died at the hands of a caregiver in Bartow.

Taylor urged parents who may be overwhelmed or frustrated with young children to reach out for help. "Call somebody. You have to have a grandmother, neighbor, or call us. We can get you resources and help," the chief said.

Lakeland police are still asking for the public's help to find and arrest 22-year-old Demarius Wilson and 30-year-old Kavarius Green, who are wanted in connection with the shooting of the 3-year-old boy on March 11. Taylor said tips are coming in and police think the men are still in the Central Florida area, but both men remained at-large as of Monday morning.

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at [email protected] or 863-802-7545. Follow on X @SaraWalshFl. z

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: 23-month-old Lakeland boy dies. Caregiver charged with murder