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Sheriff: Illegal Immigrant Charged With ‘Horrendous’ Manslaughter Of 3-Year-Old In Cantonment
March 6, 2026
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons has announced the arrest of a 28-year-old Cantonment man following the death of his 3-year-old nephew, describing the case as “horrendous and despicable”.
The suspect, Samuel Antonio Maldonado Erazo, is currently charged with negligent manslaughter, though Simmons indicated that more severe charges are being considered as the investigation continues The sheriff said Maldonado Erazo is in the country illegally.
The case began on Wednesday night, March 4 when deputies responded to a report of a 3-year-old in cardiac arrest in the 1900 block of Brentco Road. Despite the efforts of first responders, the child was pronounced dead.
The subsequent autopsy performed by the Medical Examiner’s Office revealed a harrowing pattern of physical trauma. Simmons reported that the child suffered from 17 separate strikes to the head, burn marks caused by a lighter being heated and pressed into the skin, multiple broken ribs, with one being completely detached from the backbone, a transected pancreas, which is a rare injury typically only seen in cases of extreme blunt-force trauma, and signs of possible sexual abuse and a broken collarbone.
“The injuries to the child are hard to talk about and even harder to imagine having to endure,” the sheriff said.
Investigators said the injuries were in various stages of healing, suggesting the child had been subjected to a cycle of violence over a significant period.
A Failure to Act
The Sheriff explained that the child ended up in the care of Maldonado Erazo after the boy’s mother and aunt were deported. Despite the child showing signs of “extreme distress” throughout the final day of his life, Maldonado Erazo allegedly failed to seek medical help, instead taking the boy to work with him until “the child declined to a state of cardiac arrest”.
Seeking Maximum Accountability
While the current charge is negligent manslaughter, Sheriff Simmons made it clear that the Sheriff’s Office is collaborating closely with the State Attorney’s Office to upgrade the charges.
“As I speak here today, that 3-year-old boy’s body lies at the county morgue,” Simmons said. “But he’s not there. He is pain-free in the arms of our Lord, and his killer, Samuel Antonio Maldonado Erazo…will answer for these crimes in this life and beyond.
Comments
18 Responses to “Sheriff: Illegal Immigrant Charged With ‘Horrendous’ Manslaughter Of 3-Year-Old In Cantonment”
This poor baby! Where did this man work? How did his co-workers not notice? Blame won’t change anything, but it may protect the next kid.
I believe he should have the same thing done to him as he did to that sweet innocent sole until his body gives out also
End him. Slowly, painfully with the same mercy he show’s to that poor child. Just end him. God will sort it out later.
That child should have at least been placed in foster care. I’m all for deporting illegals, but they need to have a plan for what happens to kids, and not just leave them with anybody.
No Mercy
The thought of a child dealing with not having his mother then have this monster abuse him makes me sick. Like all of you I want him to suffer, there’s no excuse to why someone didn’t step up and do something. I have a hard time believing they lived in a shell where no one saw signs of abuse happening, at home, at work some where. An investigation needs to be done to find out more. People need to speak up when they think something is happening.
He needs to suffer far more than what he put that baby through.
It is a sad thing, for sure. Justice does need to be served. But also, inflammatory rhetoric is likely to do more harm than good.
Where on earth did this guy work? He took the 3 year old to work with him and didn’t seek help till the baby had declined to a state of cardiac arrest. With the amount of injuries reported and the distress that child must have been in, where did he hide him? And who was employing this illegal?
Death Penalty! Creep!!!
Yes, as Adsup asked, why wasn’t this man deported? Why wasn’t the child deported with his mother? How long ago were the mother and aunt deported?
@adsup
Easy answer. The child is likely an American citizen.
There is blood on the hands of many in this case, not just the direct perpetrator. And it starts at the very, very top.
And maybe, all of us are responsible in one way or another.
This literally makes me sick to my stomach. My heart hurts and I hate I’m reading this. Our country sucks period on protecting children. Ik situations where dcf had CONFIRMED child abuse and still left the child in the parents custody. I’ll never ever understand how anyone can spank a child too hard let alone beat that baby like that. Leave him here and turn him loose with a public post of his location so we can treat him the same way. I’ll nvr ever understand how anyone can hurt a beautiful child, if we can’t trust our own family to protect us then we’re screwed
my heart hurts so much just thinking about how this baby must have suffered. I can/t comment because it would not be wise Would end up going to jail. I pray God lets justice prevail
Why manslaughter thats murder plain and simple .Just put him in general population for a while and tell everyone what he did you won’t have to worry about him let him suffer like that baby
“ The smell of DCF ; smells like defeat “ !
DO NOT DEPORT. PROSECUTE. SENTENCE ACCORDING TO LAW. After sentence is served. (if not executed, then deport)
How was this person not deported with the boy’s mother & aunt?????? Prayers for this little boy.