Central Florida police arrested a woman after she admitted to strangling her own 13-year-old son, officials say.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call from a family member at a residence in St. Cloud, south of Orlando, at around 7:30 a.m. Monday. Upon arrival, they found the boy deceased, lying face-up in bed showing signs of strangulation.
The boy’s mother, Jasmin Kennedy, 37, “spontaneously” told first responders that she killed her son, Sheriff Marcos Lopez said at a press conference streamed on News Channel 8.
Kennedy was arrested on suspicion of domestic battery by strangulation, child neglect and aggravated child abuse, but could she could face additional charges after the medical examiner’s office confirms the cause of death. Detectives did not provide details on the potential motive and are continuing to investigate the incident.
Kennedy was living at the St. Cloud home with another one of her children, 5, the kids’ grandmother, and the grandmother’s boyfriend. Lopez said that police responded to a call at the house earlier this year, but did not elaborate on the details of the call.
“It’s always a tragedy when someone so young is taken, regardless of how it’s done, whether it’s a car accident, or whether it’s murder, whether it’s an illness,” Lopez said.
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