Florida Man Sentenced for Murder of Toddler
A man from Florida has been sentenced for the murder of a two-year-old girl after her mother left her in his care. The incident occurred in 2022.
On Wednesday, Travis Lay Thompson, aged 27, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Jacklyn Schwingill, as confirmed by a statement from the fifth Judicial Circuit Attorney’s Office.
“Life in prison is too good for this type of evil,” read one of the comments from the legal officials involved.
On May 3, 2022, the toddler was rushed to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, showing signs of severe distress upon arrival.
Despite attempts to revive her, Jacklyn was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. Hospital staff alerted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office regarding a suspected child abuse case.
Detectives interviewed the mother, who explained she had entrusted her daughter to Thompson while she worked that morning. According to the state attorney’s office, Thompson called his own mother about 25 minutes after the mother left, stating that Jacklyn was unresponsive.
Thompson claimed that he had heard a loud noise from another room and realized something was wrong. Rather than contacting 911 immediately, he waited for approximately 30 minutes for Jacklyn’s mother to come back before deciding to drive to the hospital.
By the time they were en route, the mother noticed that Jacklyn had little to no pulse and an inflated abdomen. She urged Thompson to call 911 as the child had stopped breathing altogether, but help was only sought after a significant delay.
Upon arrival at a nearby business where emergency personnel met them, first responders took over. Unfortunately, Jacklyn was not revived.
Authorities reported that Thompson allegedly abused the child while she was in his care and claimed ignorance regarding her injuries, even though he was the only adult present. The medical examiner later determined that Jacklyn had suffered a traumatic injury to her torso, which included a severed spinal cord and internal bleeding.
The state attorney’s office elaborated, stating that the nature of the injury suggested Thompson had applied extreme force to the girl’s body, bending it unnaturally until it broke.
Thompson was arrested on September 8, 2022. After deliberating for two hours, Judge Barbara Kisner Kwatkoski sentenced him to life in prison for the murder.
“This monster took the lives of innocent children. Today, the judicial system has ensured he never walks free again,” stated Bill Gladson, the state attorney.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods expressed pride in the detectives’ relentless work on this case, further emphasizing their commitment to protecting children and holding offenders accountable.
