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Inset: Anthony McCants (Summit County Jail). Background: Home in Akron, Ohio, where a 12-year-old boy died (WOIO/YouTube).
A 23-year-old Ohio man is behind bars after allegedly forcing the 12-year-old boy he was babysitting to sit in ice baths as a form of punishment, dropping the boy’s body temperature to just 74 degrees and leading to his death.
Anthony J. McCants stands accused of endangering children in the death of Jadako Taylor, court records say. According to a press release, the Akron Police Department and the Summit County Medical Examiner received a 911 call around 2:30 p.m. Saturday at a home in the 100 block of South Balch Street.
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“What’s going on there, sir,” the dispatcher asked, according to a 911 call obtained by Cleveland CBS affiliate WOIO.
A man on the other line responded: “Uh, my little brother … bust his head.”
The caller said it appeared the boy was still breathing.
But first responders arrived on scene to find Jadako unconscious and not breathing. Paramedics rushed him to a children’s hospital where doctors pronounced him dead a little over an hour later. Cops arrested McCants that same day after authorities suspected possible foul play.
McCants forced the boy to sit in two ice baths twice for a total of 45 minutes, a criminal complaint obtained by WOIO said. In between the baths, McCants allegedly made the boy to do pushups and other strenuous exercise. Jadako at some point reportedly began to vomit and seize. The medical examiner completed an autopsy Monday to determine the cause and manner of death.
The Mayo Clinic says hypothermia kicks in when the body temperature drops below 95 degrees — and Jadako’s temperature was 74 degrees, cops say. Normal body temperature is around 98.6 degrees.
“When body temperature drops, the heart, nervous system and other organs can’t work as well as they usually do,” the clinic says. “Left untreated, hypothermia can cause the heart and respiratory system to fail and eventually can lead to death.”
Per the complaint, McCants was “known to the family” and was responsible for Jadako’s care at the time of his death. McCants currently sits at the Summit County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Prosecutors can now present the case to a grand jury to determine if the case moves forward. He has a status hearing set for May 16.
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