A Florida woman remains in custody without bond following the discovery of her 5-year-old son’s body inside a trash bag along an Escambia County highway.
Jalynda Smith, 36, was arrested on February 6 and faces a charge of aggravated negligent manslaughter. The arrest followed a missing persons report filed on February 5 after a family friend grew concerned that neither Smith nor her son, Jakaiden, had been seen for several days.
The investigation took a digital turn when Smith’s sister received a text from an unknown number directing her to check her email. The message, allegedly from Smith, requested that her sister download the encrypted messaging app Telegram to communicate securely.
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During their subsequent exchange, Smith reportedly claimed she had found Jakaiden not breathing and expressed fear. When the sister arrived at Smith’s apartment and found it abandoned, she contacted the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Chip Simmons noted that the sister’s “bad feeling” about the boy’s safety ultimately led to the grim discovery.
Deputies located the child’s body on the morning of February 6. He was found wrapped in towels inside a trash bag in the water near the highway, wearing only a diaper. A subsequent autopsy confirmed Jakaiden’s identity and revealed a significant physical decline.
Despite being 3 feet 4 inches tall, the boy weighed only 20 pounds at the time of his death. Medical professionals noted that Jakaiden, who was nonverbal and had autism, had lost a third of his body weight since a medical appointment in December. Doctors informed investigators that such a drastic weight loss would typically be the result of starvation or a severe, untreated medical condition.
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Evidence from a search of Smith’s apartment appeared to contradict a lack of resources, as investigators reported finding a sufficient supply of food in the home. Authorities also noted that while Smith had other children and various caregivers had helped with Jakaiden in the past, the boy’s father was not involved in his life.
This is not the first time Smith has been under the scrutiny of the legal system regarding her parenting. In 2022, she was charged with child neglect after leaving her then-18-month-old son alone for two hours, though that charge was later dropped after she completed a parenting course.
Smith is currently scheduled for arraignment on March 6.
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