Florida Mother Allegedly Starves 5-Year-Old Autistic Son to Death, Dumps Body in Bay, Arrested

In a disturbing case in Florida, a mother has been accused of killing her five-year-old autistic son. Jalynda Smith, 36, was indicted on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence by an Escambia County Grand Jury on March 26.

The incident happened in early February when Smith allegedly starved her nonverbal son, Ja'Kaiden Smith, to death. According to court documents, she stuffed his body into a trash bag, along with towels and blankets, and later threw the bag into Perdido Bay.

The body was discovered when a passerby on the Lillian Highway noticed the trash bag in the water and alerted the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. Investigators determined that Ja'Kaiden had been starved to death, weighing only 20 pounds. Just two months before, he had weighed 30 pounds.

“The physician responded that the child losing one-third of his body weight in less than two months was incredibly concerning. The fact that Ja'Kaiden Smith's weight had been permitted to drop by a third indicated to him either abuse through starvation, or medical neglect,” the police said in the arrest warrant.

Meanwhile, Jalynda and Ja'Kaiden were reported missing by the Jalynda’s mother on February 5. She said she had not been able to contact her daughter for five days, which was unusual. She also stated that Jalynda’s phone was switched off, which added to her worries.

On the other hand, Jalynda contacted her sister and told her to download the Telegram messaging app so that her messages and location could not be tracked. She claimed she had gone away from her home, and upon returning, found Ja'Kaiden dead.

The sister eventually went to her apartment and found Jalynda and Ja'Kaiden gone. Neighbors revealed that Jalynda had left her home several days ago and had not been seen ever since. As the police began investigating, they traced Jalynda’s car at a Walmart parking lot in Gulf Breeze. She left the store in a ridesharing service, but police were able to locate her and take her into custody.

Jalynda Smith is locked up at the Escambia County Jail with no bond. She is awaiting her next court hearing, which is scheduled for May 19. The accused also has a history with law enforcement. Earlier in 2022, she was arrested for leaving 18-month-old Ja'Kaiden alone at home for two hours.

Court documents revealed the horrific condition in which the child’s body was found. The arrest warrant read, “The arms and legs of the child appeared to be skin draped over bone, and the overall mass appeared inconsistent with the expected mass of a 5-year-old child.”

“The torso and extremities of the child appeared to be absent of meaningful muscle and the child appeared emaciated. I could see the outline of the child's rib cage through the skin and the lower abdomen was sunken inward, toward the back,” it read further.