Inset: Jeroen Jarrell Coombs (Marion County Sheriff”s Office). Background: Trailer near Ocala, Florida, where Coombs allegedly killed his girlfriend’s toddler daughter (WFTV).
In a tragic incident in Florida, a man entrusted with the care of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter is accused of causing the child’s death through violent means. Jeroen Jarrell Coombs, aged 32, faces charges of aggravated child abuse following the death of little Paisley Brown near Ocala, as reported by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
The authorities were alerted around noon on Thursday to a distressing scene on NE 44th Avenue, where they found the young girl unresponsive. Despite the paramedics’ swift response and efforts to save her, Paisley was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
The investigation revealed that Coombs inflicted harm on Paisley, leading to his immediate arrest. It emerged that instead of contacting emergency services, Coombs had called Paisley’s mother shortly before 11 a.m., reporting the child’s critical condition. Alarmingly, a call to 911 was not made until 40 minutes later.
At the time of the incident, Coombs was the sole adult present in the home. Another child in the residence reportedly informed deputies of previous and ongoing abuse by Coombs towards Paisley. The young girl bore visible signs of abuse, including bruises and marks on her wrists and feet, indicating she had been restrained.
Initially, Coombs attempted to explain Paisley’s condition by claiming she woke up feeling “groggy.” However, confronted with evidence of the bruises and ligature marks, he confessed to causing the injuries that resulted in her tragic death. Coombs admitted to binding her hands with a robe tie and securing her legs with painter’s tape, allegedly to prevent her from removing her diaper the previous night.
“However, when he was confronted about the bruising and ligature marks on the victim, Coombs admitted to causing the injuries that led to her death,” deputies wrote. “He advised that he had bound her hands with a robe tie and her legs with painter’s tape to prevent her from reaching into her diaper the night before.”
The defendant allegedly said he picked up Paisley while she was still bound and dropped her on the floor, causing her to begin gasping for air. He also admitted to punching and hitting the girl before realizing he “took it too far,” per cops. Coombs said he never called 911 because he was “scared.”
Authorities are considering additional charges and are awaiting the results of an autopsy that will determine the cause and manner of death.
Paisley’s great-aunt Tabitha Harless told local NBC affiliate WESH that she owns the trailer where the alleged crimes took place. She arrived on scene in the aftermath.
Coombs was “standing there with his arms folded up doing absolutely nothing,” Harless said.
“Nobody seemed to be in a, really, panic. I performed CPR, but in the meantime, I was looking at her — why is she wet? Where did these bruises come from?” she said.
One of Paisley’s older siblings told her what happened.
“He said, ‘Aunt Tabby, he killed her. He punched her in the chest and he punched her in the wall,’” she told the TV station.
Harless feels that Paisley and her siblings “slipped through the cracks” of the state’s child welfare system as they have been mistreated.
“These children were let down,” she said, per WESH. “Not only by their parents but by society, and it shouldn’t be that way. That’s why I am standing up today for Paisley and them children.”
Coombs is at the Marion County Jail without bond.
