MARION COUNTY, Fla. – Deputies with the Marion County Sheriff's Office arrested 24-year-old Jesus Mata Friday afternoon and charged him with aggravated manslaughter. Mata is being called a friend of the family.
Investigators say the child, Ayanna Ross, was found unresponsive by Mata and Shawna Parker on Feb. 29. Doctors determined Ross had a subdural hematoma and was transported to Shands Hospital where she later died.
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Ross' death was ruled a homicide after an autopsy determined the cause of death to be blunt trauma. Detectives then determined Mata was responsible.
According to investigators, Mata changed his story several times about how Ross became injured. Deputies say he eventually told them he began throwing Ross in the air after she became fussy. That that time, the child fell to the floor, striking her head.
Investigators say Mata then shook the infant to "snap her out of it", and then set her down to rest instead of seeking medical attention.
Mata is currently being held in the Marion County Jail on $50,000 bond.