Home / Crime and Justice / Florida Mom Indicted for Son's Murder
Florida Mom Indicted for Son's Murder
1 Apr
Summary
- Mother charged with murder and evidence tampering.
- Son's body found in trash bag along Perdido Bay.
- Child was severely malnourished, weighing only 20 pounds.
Jalynda Smith, a Florida mother, was indicted on March 26 in Escambia County on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. These charges follow the discovery of her son's body in February. The child was found wrapped in blankets and towels past a guardrail along the waterline of Perdido Bay.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Smith and her son were reported missing by Smith's mother on February 5. The affidavit alleges that Smith later texted her sister, instructing her not to inform their mother and to download an encrypted messaging app. During their communication, Smith reportedly stated she found her son not breathing.
Police described the child as emaciated and severely malnourished, with an autopsy revealing a weight of just 20 pounds. Smith's son had autism and was nonverbal. She was initially charged with manslaughter prior to the recent murder indictment.
