A 24-year-old Tampa woman faces a murder charge in the death of a 2-year-old boy she confined to a chair and abandoned, deputies said.
Rebecca Gussage-Johnston, 24, was previously arrested in May for aggravated child abuse resulting in great bodily harm and child neglect in connection with the case. Gussage-Johnston now faces an additional charge of first-degree murder while engaging in child abuse, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday.
The new charge was added Thursday after the Medical Examiner’s Office concluded the boy’s death was a homicide caused by gross negligence, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies responded May 19 to a call about a child in distress in the 10000 block of US Highway 301 in Tampa. The boy died at the scene after officers arrived.
Investigators found injuries on several parts of the child’s body. Deputies said Gussage-Johnston admitted to punishing the boy the day before for “acting out,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies said Gussage-Johnston confined the boy to a chair for an “extended period” without attention, and failed to seek medical attention for the boy for nearly a day. A concerned family member of the boy called 911.
The sheriff’s office did not release the relationship between Gussage-Johnston and the boy.
Gussage-Johnston was being held without bail at Falkenburg Road Jail.
