Illinois man fatally beat his girlfriend’s 6-year-old son in ‘intentional act,’ police claim

An Illinois man is accused of fatally beating his girlfriend’s 6-year-old son to death in what authorities claimed was an ‘intentional act.’

On Feb. 25, the young boy died as the result of severe head trauma police believe he suffered during a severe beating at a home in Round Lake Beach, WFLD reported.

Four days earlier, on Feb. 21, the victim’s mother found the child, identified in reports as Jayceon Wright, unresponsive on the floor around 4:05 p.m., and she initially rushed him in an Uber to Libertyville's Advocate Condell Medical Center.

Medical staff alerted authorities about the child’s significant injuries, and Round Lake Beach police launched an investigation in conjunction with the Lake County Children's Advocacy Center.

“Round Lake Beach detectives and advocacy center investigators discovered the child sustained the injuries as the result of an intentional act by the mother’s boyfriend,” Tracy D. Thomas, 34, police said.

The victim, who was on life support, eventually was transferred to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he died on Feb. 24.

Thomas turned himself in to police the prior day. The suspect faces charges of aggravated battery and aggravated domestic battery to a child.

Police expect to upgrade the charges to now include murder.

Thomas was being held at Lake County jail on $500,000 bail.