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State prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Nathaniel Davis, charged with the murder, sexual battery and child abuse of a toddler.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The state will seek the death penalty for Nathaniel Davis, the Jacksonville man who is charged with murder, sexual battery and child abuse in the death of a 22-month old, the State Attorney’s Office for Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida confirmed Tuesday.
The toddler, Zamora Foe, was taken to a local hospital on Sept. 10 of last year after police officers responded to a call for an unresponsive child. She died eight days later.
The cause was determined to be blunt force trauma, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Zamora’s mother, 20-year-old Zayla Goodwin, was charged with aggravated manslaughter.
Davis was identified as her boyfriend. His list of charges are first-degree murder, two counts of sexual battery, aggravated child abuse and tampering with evidence.
In Florida, any first-degree murder qualifies for the death penalty.
What happened?
Police records show that Goodwin told police Davis said he found the child unresponsive, face down on the mattress next to their bed. He then tried putting the child in the bathtub to wake her up, but was unsuccessful, according to Goodwin’s comments stated in the warrant.
Goodwin told detectives her child fell in the bathtub about a week ago when Davis was giving her a bath, but she was not present for it. They had lived in Hilliard, Florida, at the time and moved into their current home Sept. 5 with at least one other roommate.
The arrest warrant states that Goodwin told detectives the child had difficulties walking after falling in the bath. She also said the child’s lips became very red and swollen a day ago, but she believed it to be an allergic reaction, so she gave the child medicine, but it didn’t work. The warrant says she told detectives the child was struggling with eating and drinking due to her swollen and painful mouth.
According to police documents, detectives found multiple bloody bandages and blankets in the residence, along with bloody diapers in the trash can.
Goodwin reportedly told police she did not see any other injuries to the child aside from a bruise to her arm, back and head, which she said she received in the fall in the tub, according to the documents. Goodwin also told police she often changed the girl’s diaper and clothing but had not seen any other bruising, injuries or blood.
A First Coast Child Protection Team member noted on the report that any reasonable caretaker “should have known to seek medical attention for a child in this condition.”
If you suspect abuse, it is your obligation to report it. Call JSO at 904.630.0500 or the state’s child abuse hotline at 1.800.96.ABUSE.