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Inset, left to right: Nathaniel Davis and Zayla Goodwin (Jacksonville County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Location on Taurus Circle N. where Davis is alleged to have killed Goodwin’s daughter (Google Maps).
In Florida, a 20-year-old mother and her 23-year-old boyfriend stand accused of the brutal killing of the woman’s 22-month-old daughter, who was allegedly beaten to death.
Authorities announced the arrests of Zayla Goodwin and Nathaniel Davis last week, charging them in connection with the death of young Zamora Foe. Davis faces charges including first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, tampering with evidence, and two counts of sexual battery. Goodwin is charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.
According to a news release from the Jacksonville County Sheriff’s Office, deputies on Sept. 10, 2024, responded to a call about a medical emergency involving a young child at a home on Taurus Circle N. in southwest Jacksonville, which is about 140 miles north of Orlando.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located the child and rushed him to Wolfson Children’s Hospital where the medical team allegedly discovered that the toddler had suffered “multiple injuries.”
“Tragically, on September 18, the child passed away. Months later, on December 4, 2024, the death was officially ruled a homicide,” the release states. “The Medical Examiner found the child died of blunt force trauma and had methamphetamine in their system.”
The couple were initially arrested on neglect charges in September 2024. The charges were upgraded based on the evidence uncovered during the investigation.
“The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office will work with the State Attorney’s Office to get the harshest punishment possible for this heinous crime against an innocent child. Children are our community’s most precious asset,” the office said in a statement.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Zamora suffered fractures in both of her legs and one of her arms, and had ligature marks around her neck. In addition to bruising and scratching “over the entire body,” she also showed signs of being sexually abused.
During a search of the couple’s home, investigators allegedly recovered bloody diapers, bandages, and blankets from the trash as well as narcotics and drug paraphernalia.
Another adult who lived in the home with the couple told police that when she asked Goodwin about injuries to Zamora, particularly why the child had apparently stopped walking, Goodwin insisted that the injuries occurred when Zamora “fell in the bathtub” a week earlier.
Goodwin said that before calling 911, she woke up to Davis yelling and performing CPR on Zamora. Davis allegedly told her he found the child unresponsive and facedown on her mattress.
A doctor with the First Coast Child Protection Team advised police that Zamora’s injuries were less than 10 days old and noted that the leg fractures “would have caused intense pain and any reasonable caretaker would have sought medical attention.” The doctor said a child with such injuries “would not have been able to bear weight on their legs given the extent of these fractures and the anticipated degree of pain experienced.”
Goodwin and Davis are both being held at the Jacksonville County Jail without bond.
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