[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
A Florida father has been arrested after allegedly murdering his 2-year-old daughter Melody Alana Rose Duran.
Jeronimo Anthony Duran was taken into custody by the Pembroke Pines Police Department last week after allegedly slashing his toddler’s throat. The PD revealed in a Facebook release:
“At 9:42 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, members of the Pembroke Pines Police and Fire Departments responded to a report of an injured child. First responders entered the home, located a child bleeding profusely from her neck, and immediately began emergency medical care. The child was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital, but regrettably died despite all life-saving efforts.”
Jeronimo was detained and booked in the Broward County Jail and charged with first degree murder. See the full release (below):
That poor little girl…
A clearer picture of the tragedy was later detailed in the 33-year-old’s arrest report. Apparently, he picked up Melody from his ex-girlfriend’s house just before 7:30 a.m. that day. He then returned to the home he shared with his grandmother, and at 9:30, she entered the residence to see him allegedly on top of the little girl on the kitchen floor. The grandmother reportedly told Jeronimo to “get off,” and when he did, she said Melody was “blue in color and discolored.” She called 911 in another room, and when she returned to the kitchen, her grandson was apparently kneeling over his daughter, who was bleeding profusely. The grandmother “ran to her room as she did not want to observe anything further.” Jeronimo’s stepfather arrived and tried his best to give Melody CPR until cops and paramedics arrived, but sadly to no avail. The whole time, Jeronimo apparently stood silent in the kitchen.
Related: Kentucky Woman Arrested For Trying To Flush Newborn Down IHOP Toilet
A police officer who arrived at the scene reported seeing a “slit across [Melody’s] throat,” while the kitchen floor and a stainless steel steak knife were coated in blood.
So completely heinous… just truly difficult to even fathom.
In a subsequent questioning, Jeronimo reportedly confessed to strangling his daughter until she was unconscious before cutting her throat with the blade. He also claimed he suffers from “mental illness,” and that he’d even been committed to a mental health facility under Florida’s Baker Act in the past. He also admitted he’d stopped taking his antidepressants and had begun smoking marijuana in recent weeks, including on the day he killed Melody.
So horrifying and senseless… And sadly, things make even LESS sense the more you hear.
According to court docs obtained by NBC Miami, Jeronimo’s ex — Melody’s mother — moved out of the home in March of 2023 because of his “erratic, aggressive, violent and dangerous” behavior towards her AND their daughter. She made the claims during a court battle in which she petitioned for full custody, citing Jeronimo’s mental health issues. She even claimed he had “a history of hearing voices to end his life, some while the child was with him alone,” but a judge still approved a custody plan allowing him unsupervised care.
In addition to his first degree murder charge, Jeronimo has also been charged with aggravated child abuse. His lawyer David A. Frankel said in a statement to People:
“Jeronimo has suffered with severe mental illness his entire life. What happened and why may never be known. In a world of tragedy, this is especially tragic.”
See more (below):
Rest in peace, Melody. Our hearts are with all her loved ones. Especially her mother.
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org
[Image via Jeronimo Anthony Duran/Facebook]
