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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. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The sheriff’s office did not release the relationship between Gussage-Johnston and the boy.<\/p>\n
Gussage-Johnston was being held without bail at Falkenburg Road Jail.<\/p>\n