Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Baby’s skull cracked
Death called a homicide; no one has yet been charged
A cracked skull and lump on the forehead of an 11-month-old Boynton Beach boy helped a medical examiner conclude he was slain, according to records from the Florida Department of Children and Families.
No one has been charged in the Dec. 24 death of Kalobe Williams, which was ruled a homicide, according to a DCF incident report released Wednesday. Authorities are still investigating.
Kalobe was one of several children living in a Boynton Beach home with his mother, Latonya Edwards, 26, and an aunt and uncle. He would have been 1 year old on Dec. 31.
The boy’s mom told investigators she left to get her hair done about 11 p.m. Dec. 23 and left Kalobe and his siblings in the care of Kalobe’s aunt and uncle.
But as the children slept on an L-shaped couch, Kalobe’s aunt told investigators, she went to her bedroom in the home, heard a thump, and then found Kalobe face down on the floor with his feet still on the couch, according to the report.
She called 911 while Kalobe’s uncle performed CPR, she told investigators.
The two took Kalobe to Bethesda Hospital but the child was taken to Delray Medical Center after seeing how critical the injuries were.
Kalobe died about 2 a.m. Dec. 24. A medical examiner determined his injuries were caused by blunt force trauma.
DCF Secretary Mike Carroll, in a statement, said the agency is saddened by the death.
“All of the children in the home have been relocated to a safe environment, and we will work to help them begin to heal from this devastating loss,” he said. “Based on the family’s prior and ongoing involvement in the child welfare system, the department will conduct a thorough quality assurance investigation into our interactions with the family and the circumstances surrounding his tragic death.”
Both the boy’s mother and aunt have a history with DCF, according to the DCF report. But details of their interactions with the agency and the names of the relatives were redacted from the report.
Attempts by the Sun Sentinel to reach Edwards were unsuccessful. Authorities have declined to provide more details about the boy’s death, citing the ongoing investigation.