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Inset: Anthony McCants (Summit County Jail). Background: Home in Akron, Ohio, where a 12-year-old boy died (WOIO/YouTube).
An Ohio man, aged 23, is now in custody following accusations of forcing a 12-year-old boy, whom he was babysitting, to endure ice baths as a punishment. This allegedly caused the boy’s body temperature to plummet to 74 degrees, resulting in his death.
Identified as Anthony J. McCants, he faces charges of endangering children in connection to the death of Jadako Taylor, according to court documents. The Akron Police Department and the Summit County Medical Examiner responded to a 911 call around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at a residence in the 100 block of South Balch Street, per a press release.
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“What’s going on there, sir,” the dispatcher asked, according to a 911 call obtained by Cleveland CBS affiliate WOIO.
A man on the other line responded: “Uh, my little brother … bust his head.”
The caller said it appeared the boy was still breathing.
Upon their arrival, first responders discovered Jadako unresponsive and not breathing. He was swiftly transported to a children’s hospital, where medical staff pronounced him dead just over an hour later. Authorities, suspecting foul play, arrested McCants on the same day.
McCants forced the boy to sit in two ice baths twice for a total of 45 minutes, a criminal complaint obtained by WOIO said. In between the baths, McCants allegedly made the boy to do pushups and other strenuous exercise. Jadako at some point reportedly began to vomit and seize. The medical examiner completed an autopsy Monday to determine the cause and manner of death.
The Mayo Clinic says hypothermia kicks in when the body temperature drops below 95 degrees — and Jadako’s temperature was 74 degrees, cops say. Normal body temperature is around 98.6 degrees.
“When body temperature drops, the heart, nervous system and other organs can’t work as well as they usually do,” the clinic says. “Left untreated, hypothermia can cause the heart and respiratory system to fail and eventually can lead to death.”
Per the complaint, McCants was “known to the family” and was responsible for Jadako’s care at the time of his death. McCants currently sits at the Summit County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Prosecutors can now present the case to a grand jury to determine if the case moves forward. He has a status hearing set for May 16.
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