A Florida nurse has been charged after her three-month-old son died from head injuries allegedly inflicted by a blow involving her diamond ring, police said.
Jessica Vlasac, 42, called emergency services shortly before midnight on September 6 to report that August Lionel was unresponsive at her home in Lakeland, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Paramedics took the baby to Orlando Health Medical, where he was pronounced dead.
Vlasac initially told deputies she had accidentally fallen asleep with her son in her bed. She said she woke to find him face down, “not moving and cold to the touch”.
Investigators later found an abrasion and bruising on the infant’s head. An autopsy reported subdural haemorrhaging around his skull and three separate head injuries, including one which appeared to have been caused by a small, square-like object.
The report found no evidence that co-sleeping had caused the death, police said.
During interviews, detectives noticed a large, diamond-like stone on Vlasac’s ring finger which they said was consistent with the injury described in the autopsy. A search warrant was carried out and officers seized the ring and electronic devices.
While the search was under way, Vlasac allegedly asked whether the ring was what had killed her son. Police also said she had deleted some messages from her phone and urged the baby’s father not to show detectives their conversations.
The father told investigators that Vlasac “becomes violent” when she drinks and alleged that she had admitted buying alcohol earlier on the day of the baby’s death. He also showed detectives messages allegedly sent by Vlasac that night, saying she had killed the infant and that he was dead.
People who were in the home told investigators that Vlasac had been caring for August alone in her room. They said they had not suspected anything was wrong until they heard her screaming.
Vlasac was arrested last Thursday and charged with felony aggravated child abuse resulting in the death of her son. She has not entered a plea.
Jail records state that she is not currently eligible for bond. She is due to appear in court on Thursday for a pre-trial detention hearing, with her arraignment scheduled for October 13.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing.
