Staff Report

Update: Information from the arrest report added at 9:15 p.m.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a tragic incident, 23-year-old Tierra A. Scott-Franklin was taken into custody today following her call to 911, where she allegedly confessed to drowning her own child.

The Gainesville Police Department reported that officers arrived at an apartment in Sweetwater Square, located at 3101 NE 15th Street, around 12:47 p.m. on January 14. There, they discovered a baby girl who was unresponsive. Despite attempts to save her, the infant was declared dead after being transported to UF Health Shands.

After being taken to the police headquarters, Scott-Franklin, under Miranda rights, reportedly confessed to placing the baby on her back in a bathtub partially filled with water. She allegedly left the bathroom, shut the door, and anticipated the child would not survive.

She reportedly said that she returned to the bathroom about five minutes later and removed the baby from the bathtub. She said the baby was unresponsive, and there was a white substance coming from her nose and mouth. She said she performed some chest compressions on the baby, but she stopped after she saw liquid coming out of the baby’s mouth.

Scott-Franklin reportedly said, “If I can’t have my baby, no one can… I’m sorry, but I don’t regret it.” She said she was facing “other legal penalties” and was afraid she would lose custody of the baby. She said she had previously researched “suffocation” and also said she has been diagnosed with multiple mental illnesses and hears voices.

Scott-Franklin has been charged with first-degree homicide and violating probation.

Scott-Franklin was arrested in August 2025 for battering a 67-year-old victim and resisting an officer without violence. After being placed in a patrol vehicle, she slipped out of her handcuffs and escaped, leaving her newborn baby with police officers, but she was quickly apprehended. In December 2025, she entered a plea of nolo contendere to the charges, and Judge Denise Ferrero sentenced her to five years of probation, with a requirement for a mental health evaluation.

Scott-Franklin’s bail will be set on January 15.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.