Investigators say other children were in the home in rural Marion County when the girl was hurt.
CITRA, FL — A 32-year-old man is jailed without bond after deputies said a 3-year-old girl died from injuries she suffered inside a rural Marion County home, where investigators said other children were present and at least one juvenile witness described hearing the child being struck.
Detectives said the man, identified as Jeroen Jarrel Coombs, admitted hurting the girl after he was confronted with bruising and marks investigators documented on her body. The case drew attention because deputies said the child was bound with household items, a delay occurred before a 911 call was made, and witnesses told investigators they had seen earlier physical abuse. The sheriff’s office said the girl was taken to a hospital and later died, turning a welfare call into a homicide investigation.
Deputies were called to a residence in the 16500 block of Northeast 44th Avenue in the Citra area around midday Thursday, Feb. 19, after a report that the child was unresponsive. The girl, identified by authorities as Paisley Brown, was taken by medics to a hospital, where she died. Investigators said that when deputies arrived, people at the scene told them Coombs had harmed the child and was trying to leave. Deputies detained him at the property while detectives began interviews and collected evidence, the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives said they learned Coombs had been home alone with several children that morning. Investigators said Coombs told the child’s mother at 10:58 a.m. that Paisley was not responsive, but did not immediately call for emergency help. A 911 call was placed about 40 minutes later, authorities said. During interviews, a juvenile witness told investigators the witness heard Coombs strike the girl and also described prior incidents of physical abuse involving Coombs, according to the sheriff’s office.
Coombs initially gave investigators a different account, detectives said. He told them the child seemed “groggy” when she woke up that morning. Investigators said the injuries they observed did not match that explanation and pressed him about bruising and what they described as ligature-type marks. Coombs then admitted he caused the injuries that led to the child’s death, deputies said, describing actions that began the night before the girl was found unresponsive.
According to investigators, Coombs told detectives he bound the child’s hands with a robe tie and her legs with painter’s tape. He said he did it to keep her from reaching into her diaper. Deputies said Coombs told them he dropped the girl while she was still bound and that she began gasping for air. He then struck her multiple times, investigators said, and later told detectives he realized he “took it too far.” When detectives asked why he did not call 911 right away, deputies said Coombs told them he was scared.
Authorities said Coombs was arrested Friday, Feb. 20, after detectives completed interviews and reviewed evidence gathered during the homicide investigation. He was booked into the Marion County Jail and was being held without bond, the sheriff’s office said. The sheriff’s office said he was charged with aggravated child abuse, and detectives continued to document the circumstances of the child’s death as the investigation moved forward.
The case unfolded in Citra, a small community north of Ocala where homes are spread out along two-lane roads and many properties include trailers or manufactured homes alongside older wood-frame houses. Neighbors and local residents described the area as quiet, with children often playing outside and families living in multi-generational households. Deputies did not identify the other children who were at the home, but investigators said witness statements from a juvenile were a key piece of the early timeline, along with the gap between when the child was first reported unresponsive and when 911 was called.
Child death investigations in Florida typically involve multiple agencies and records that come in stages, including medical findings that help establish cause and manner of death, interviews with caregivers and witnesses, and a review of any prior calls for service at the address. In this case, investigators said physical evidence on the child’s body and Coombs’ statements during questioning guided their decision to make an arrest within about a day of the initial call. Deputies did not immediately release details about the child’s family beyond describing her as the girlfriend’s daughter, and they did not publicly describe where the mother was during the morning when investigators said Coombs was alone with the children.
In Florida, serious child abuse cases can bring separate tracks of review, including criminal charges and child welfare assessments. Deputies did not announce additional arrests, and they did not say whether any previous reports had been made to authorities about the household. Investigators also did not publicly describe how many children were inside the home at the time, or whether anyone attempted first aid before the girl was taken to the hospital. Those details are often clarified later through court filings, arrest affidavits, and medical records introduced as a case moves through the system.
Coombs’ first court appearance and any bond review were not detailed in the sheriff’s office statement, but jail records showed he was being held without bond Friday. Prosecutors could decide to file additional charges as investigators complete reports and as medical findings are finalized. Deputies said detectives were continuing to interview witnesses and document the scene, and the case remained an active homicide investigation. Authorities have not said when a full incident report or additional records will be released.
Outside the home, the response left a visible mark on the rural neighborhood: patrol vehicles parked along the roadside, deputies moving between the property and the street, and residents slowing down to watch from driveways. In interviews recorded by local outlets, the sheriff’s office emphasized the severity of the alleged abuse and the importance of witness accounts from children who were present. Investigators said the juvenile witness not only described hearing the girl being struck but also spoke about earlier abuse, a detail detectives said helped them understand what happened before the day Paisley was found unresponsive.
As of Friday afternoon, deputies said Coombs remained in the Marion County Jail while detectives worked to complete the investigative file. The next expected milestones are the release of more detailed court documents and the scheduling of early hearings as prosecutors review the case.
Author note: Last updated February 20, 2026.