Insets (left to right): Tatiana Norman and Jeremiah Peters (Lakeland Police Department). Background: Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center in Lakeland, Fla. (Google Maps).
A Florida woman was arrested after her 6-month-old baby died, and she may face even more serious charges.
Tatiana Norman, 23, was charged with aggravated child abuse in connection with the death of her son, 6-month-old Jeremiah Peters, who died on June 30. During a press conference, Lakeland Police Chief Sammy Taylor Jr. provided more details about the events surrounding Jeremiah's death, including the multiple stories Norman allegedly provided to police.
According to an affidavit obtained by local NBC affiliate WFLA, Norman told police that on the afternoon of June 29, she became "overstimulated" and "overwhelmed" by her situation at home with her 6-month-old and 1-year-old children, "which led her to commit acts of rage and frustration against Jeremiah."
During the press conference, Taylor said Lakeland first responders arrived at Norman's home at 11:39 p.m. on June 29 after Norman reported that Jeremiah was unresponsive. The baby was transported to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center in Lakeland, Florida, and pronounced dead after midnight.
When detectives spoke to Norman, she allegedly provided several accounts of what happened. First, she told police that Jeremiah fell off a bed onto a tile floor while she prepared a bottle. She then claimed that she, her 1-year-old, and Jeremiah were all sleeping on the bed together, and one of them might have rolled onto Jeremiah.
Norman was confronted about a mark on Jeremiah's leg, which she first claimed was a result of hot bathwater. She then claimed the mark was a reaction to laundry detergent the baby's father used. Norman eventually admitted that she spilled hot broth on the baby's leg. An autopsy report stated that the mark likely came from "a more significant thermal event."
Police said that after Jeremiah's autopsy was completed on July 1, they questioned Norman again and told her that the injuries she described did not match up with the autopsy's findings. Taylor said during the press conference that Norman admitted that Jeremiah had suffered several injuries throughout the day on June 29, beginning at 9 a.m.
According to the affidavit, Norman claimed she dropped Jeremiah on his head while reaching for a remote. Rather than seek medical help, she chose to look up concussion symptoms online and keep an eye on Jeremiah at home. Norman claimed Jeremiah fell on his face again when her 1-year-old purportedly climbed into his rocker and knocked the baby down.
Police said Norman finally admitted that at 1 p.m., she "intentionally 'tossed' or 'threw' Jeremiah into a playpen from a standing position." The playpen did not have a cushion on the bottom, and Jeremiah hit his head on the floor. Taylor said, "When she threw the infant into the playpen, a visceral and obvious reaction of curling his hands and pulling his hands up, I think that's probably when the significant injury occurred."
As the baby became increasingly lethargic and stopped taking formula, Norman allegedly continued to search her baby's symptoms on Google instead of calling for medical assistance. By 3:34 p.m., police said Norman had switched from searching Google for concussion information to watching cooking videos on TikTok.
Police said Norman also accessed different porn sites about 30 times while Jeremiah's condition worsened. When the baby's father texted Norman to ask for a picture of Jeremiah at 10 p.m., she never responded.
Taylor said that by the time Norman called 911 to report something was wrong with the baby, it was too late. Based on the baby's body temperature of 94 degrees when he arrived at the hospital, "I feel like he'd been dead for several hours by the time she decided to call us," Taylor said.
The medical examiner did not release a cause of death but stated the manner of death was homicide. Norman has not been charged with killing Jeremiah, but police said charges could be upgraded pending the prosecution's investigation.
Norman is in custody at the Polk County Jail, where she is being held without bond. Her next court date was scheduled for Sept. 1.
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