A 25-year-old man in Tampa, Florida, was arrested Friday in connection with the death of a 1-month-old baby during "an unspeakable act" of child abuse, according to authorities.
The suspect, identified as Cortavius Thompson, faces charges of first-degree murder while engaged in child abuse, Fox News reported.
On Thursday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office got a call from a Tampa hospital about an unresponsive baby that arrived with upper body trauma.
Doctors performed life-saving measures, but the infant died the next morning due to the injuries.
The mother of the child rushed the infant to the hospital after returning home from work and finding her newborn unresponsive and seriously injured.
The mom told detectives that she had left her child in the care of the suspect, who is her relative, while she was working. She added that the last time she saw her child was during her lunch break and that there were no signs of injuries at that time.
Thompson told detectives that he was allegedly in the restroom when he heard the child crying from the adjacent room.
The 25-year-old claimed that he noticed the injuries when he went to pick up the baby, according to a news release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Thompson reportedly told police that he then placed the infant in a bathtub in an attempt to wake the baby as he waited for the child's mother to return from work, the news release said.
According to the medical examiner's office, the death of the infant could not have been accidental based on the injuries. The medical examiner ruled the death of the 1-month-old a homicide.
"It is heartbreaking anytime our deputies must investigate these types of cases," said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. "It is devastating to lose a child so tragically; this baby was innocent and had no chance at the hands of the suspect. This is an unspeakable act that should have never occurred."
Thompson is currently being held without bond at the Falkenburg Road Jail without bond.
No other detail about the case has been provided as of this writing.
