A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly abusing her 13-year-old son and an elderly disabled man. After suffering abuse from his stepfather, the teen endured similar abuse from his mother, who also physically assaulted a 65-year-old man who offered them shelter.
The accused, 31-year-old Jasmine Jean-Baptiste, reported her son missing, which triggered an investigation that led to her arrest. According to reports, Jean-Baptiste reported her son missing around 1:30 a.m. last Thursday. The boy had run away home and was found at a school where his grandmother worked.
The teen told the authorities that he previously resided with his stepfather, who severely abused him. He reportedly detailed being beaten on multiple occasions, which caused scars and made him lose a tooth, according to the Miami Shores Police Department.
The teen also told the authorities that one of his punishments included maintaining a squatting position for several hours. The teen relocated to Miami Shores to live with his mother, but the harrowing experience continued.
According to reports, he said his mother slapped him, stuck him with a belt buckle, which resulted in permanent scars, and also forced him to squat for several hours. When he was forced to maintain the squat, he was also denied water. This was allegedly to punish him for misbehaving in school. When his mother reportedly forced him to squat while she showered, he decided to run away.
The boy’s grandmother and coach at school also corroborated his abuse allegations. The teen was not Jean-Baptiste’s only victim, as she is also accused of abusing a 65-year-old man. The man welcomed Jean-Baptiste and her son into his home when the boy was a toddler. They reportedly stayed with him for nine years.
During that time, he was allegedly physically abused so badly by Jean-Baptiste that it left him partially blind. The elderly man came forward as a victim and told the police about his experience, which included being “sucker-punched” and struck in the face with a knife-sharpening tool. Authorities noted that the man installed various locks on his apartment to keep the woman out and showed them photographs of bruises, contusions, and facial lacerations.
Jean-Baptiste admitted to some things regarding the old man and denied the allegations regarding her son, blaming her son’s bruises on a school incident. She later admitted that his stepfather contributed to the scars. She has been charged with aggravated child abuse and another charge of aggravated abuse of an elderly or disabled adult.