Tallahassee police have arrested a local woman and charged her in the drowning death of a 2-year-old boy, the department announced in a press release and on social media the evening of Aug. 13.
Raymona Ford, 24, was charged with murder, police said; court records were as yet unavailable.
The arrest was the result of “a months-long investigation that determined the child’s drowning was a result of foul play,” according to police.
Here’s what happened: Officers responded to the Magnolia Terrace Apartments on May 9 to a call about “a child who had reportedly drowned in a bathtub.”
“Upon arrival, first responders immediately began life-saving efforts before transporting the child to a local hospital in critical condition. Sadly, the child passed away four days later from his injuries,” the police statement said.
“Following an extensive and detailed investigation, which included findings from the Medical Examiner’s Office, detectives determined Ford had struck the child multiple times, causing him to suffer seizures and ultimately drown after being left unattended in the bathtub.”
It was not completely clear if Ford is the mother of the child as police rarely share relationship information because of Marsy’s Law, the victim’s rights amendment. However, a GoFundMe was set up in the Tallahassee area by a Raymona Ford at around the time of the incident for her toddler’s funeral expenses, accompanied by a photo of the child with a backpack on.
“O’Rhyan was a very affectionate baby; he loved his penguin plushie, cuddling, and watching cartoons,” she wrote in the GoFundMe. “He was a very happy child. Due to legal limitations, I can’t go in depth disclosing information about this tragic incident, but nothing can prepare you for that as a parent.”
She went on to say her son had “profound brain damage” and that she “held out hope” but that doctors told her the “situation is irreversible.”
“I loved my son with every breath in me, and he was such a blessing and a sweetheart,” she wrote. “I never thought I’d lose any of my kids.”
The fundraiser, which is no longer active, raised $100 from a single anonymous donor.
Tallahassee has endured a string of child homicides
The child’s death is the latest in a recent string of homicides involving children in the state capital.
The community is still reeling and searching for answers after the death of 5-year-old Melissa “Missy” Mogle, who was found unconscious May 19 at her Southwood home and rushed to the hospital with signs of severe abuse.
She was found with injuries “from head to toe,” including cuts, bruises, burns and ligature marks, along with indications of possible sexual abuse. Daniel Spencer, 35, and his wife Chloe Spencer, 23, the girl’s biological mother, were arrested the day of her death and later charged with murder.
The Tallahassee Democrat has chronicled Missy’s story since her death, including what her family and others have described as failings by judges, police, the state and others who were supposed to keep her safe.
Less than a year before she died, police and the Florida Department of Children and Families closed investigations into an allegation that Daniel Spencer had molested Missy without taking further action.
Chloe Spencer has pled not guilty while her husband is “standing mute” and not responding to the charges, which officials treat as a not guilty plea.
Just two months later on July 18, Deric Young, 25, was indicted on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in the brutal death of a 1-year-old girl.
According to court records, Ky’meria Key’moni German died June 23 after Young punched her in the head so hard it caused her brain to hemorrhage and swell. She also suffered an acute fracture to her thigh bone, an injury police called “extremely painful.”
Young was the boyfriend of a woman who had been hired to look after the little girl. He admitted in an interview with police that he struck the girl but said he didn’t think it was hard enough to cause her death. Young pled not guilty to the murder in a Leon County courtroom on Aug. 13.
The scars are also still raw from the revelation that 12-year-old Lori Paige was murdered by her father. Her disappearance in 2023 became one of the city’s most prominent missing persons cases and sparked a community wide search for answers.
Lori’s father, Andrew Wiley, 36, was arrested in April and faced a homicide charge, before he later died in prison of what authorities say was natural causes.
Jim Rosica can be reached at jrosica@tallahassee.com. Follow him on X: @JimRosicaFL.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee woman charged with murder in toddler’s drowning, police say
Reporting by Jim Rosica and William L. Hatfield, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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