GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A Gainesville woman has been arrested after investigators determined she was responsible for injuries suffered by her 2-year-old child, who was found unresponsive and not breathing Thursday night.
According to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and Alachua County Fire Rescue paramedics responded at approximately 9:17 p.m. on June 18, 2026, to a residence in the Tower Oaks neighborhood after receiving a 911 call reporting an unconscious child.
When first responders arrived, a deputy carried the child to a waiting ambulance, where paramedics immediately began advanced life-saving measures. The child was transported to UF Health’s pediatric emergency department with life-threatening injuries.
While at the residence, deputies and paramedics observed significant bruising on the child, prompting the launch of a criminal investigation.
Detectives and crime scene investigators responded to the home and learned that the child’s mother, 29-year-old Jessica Neathea Wilson, was allegedly responsible for the injuries.
Investigators determined Wilson and her child had been staying with a friend in the Tower Oaks neighborhood for approximately two and a half weeks.
According to detectives, Wilson woke the friend late Thursday evening and handed over the unresponsive child, who did not appear to be breathing. The friend immediately began performing CPR and repeatedly urged Wilson to call 911.
Authorities said Wilson refused, and the friend ultimately called 911 while continuing lifesaving efforts.
During the investigation, Wilson allegedly made statements indicating she was responsible for harming the child.
Wilson was taken into custody and interviewed by detectives. Based on evidence gathered during the investigation, she was charged with Aggravated Child Abuse and Child Abuse related to a separate, previously unreported incident of physical violence that investigators said occurred two days earlier.
She was booked into the Alachua County Jail.
Sheriff Chad Scott said the case has deeply affected everyone involved in the investigation.
“What happened to this child shakes every one of us to our core,” Scott said in a statement. “No child should ever endure this kind of suffering.”
The child remains under medical care as the investigation continues.
Authorities have not released additional details about the child’s condition.