TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Police Department has arrested a suspect linked to the death of an infant in his care.
Just before 3:00 PM on August 1, 2022, TPD responded to a call of a one-year-old child who was not breathing at an apartment located on the 6700 block of Woodville St. After being transported to Saint Joseph’s Hospital, the child was later pronounced deceased.
During the course of an investigation, detectives learned that the victim lived with and was in the care of Terin Smith, 28, while the victim’s mother went to work.
According to a witness, while giving the child a bath, Smith struck the child for being “whiny,” before laying the victim in a crib. Other juveniles in the home later observed that the baby was unresponsive and rushed the victim to a neighboring apartment to ask another adult for help.
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Smith left the scene on foot prior to officers arriving.
An autopsy was conducted by the Hillsborough County Medical Examiners’ Office, revealing that the victim appeared to suffer from injuries to the abdomen and head.
On Sunday, August 21, Smith was arrested in Clarksville, Tennessee, and charged with first-degree murder while engaged in aggravated child abuse.
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