Investigators say the child suffered extensive injuries before he died at a hospital in Escambia County.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — A 28-year-old man has been charged in the death of his 3-year-old nephew after deputies in Escambia County said the boy arrived at a hospital Wednesday following a 911 call for cardiac arrest and died the same day.
Samuel Antonio Maldonado Erazo was booked into jail late Thursday and is charged with negligent manslaughter, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Chip Simmons said Friday that investigators began a criminal case immediately after the child’s death and are now working with prosecutors and the medical examiner to determine whether the charge should be increased.
Simmons said the boy had been in Maldonado Erazo’s care and had suffered what the sheriff called “horrendous and despicable treatment.” The sheriff said the child had extensive bruising across his body, 17 strikes to the head, burn marks consistent with a heated lighter, several broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a transected pancreas and signs of possible sexual abuse. Simmons said many of the injuries appeared to be in different stages of healing, a detail investigators say suggests the harm did not happen in a single moment.
According to the sheriff, deputies were told the child showed signs of extreme distress throughout Wednesday. Instead of getting medical treatment right away, Simmons said, Maldonado Erazo took the boy to work with him. The child later declined to the point of cardiac arrest, and first responders were called. The boy was taken to a hospital, where he died. “These injuries and the neglect associated with them contributed to his death,” Simmons said during the public briefing.
Investigators also gave new details about the setting around the case. Simmons said the child ended up with Maldonado Erazo after his mother and aunt were recently deported. Deputies also said Maldonado Erazo is in the country illegally. A homeowner told local media that Maldonado Erazo had been living in a shed behind a home on Brentco Road in Cantonment with multiple children. Another local report said other children at the property were later taken into protective custody by the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Maldonado Erazo is being held without bond in the Escambia County Jail. Simmons said the sheriff’s office is continuing to work with the State Attorney’s Office and the Medical Examiner’s Office as investigators review the medical findings and the events leading to the boy’s death. The sheriff said the case remains active, and officials have not announced a court date or any upgraded charges.
The case drew an emotional response from law enforcement. Simmons said the injuries were difficult to describe and even harder to imagine. For now, the charge is negligent manslaughter, but investigators have made clear that more serious counts remain possible as the medical and forensic review continues.
Author note: Last updated March 9, 2026.