The child welfare worker in the case of a mother who was arrested on murder charges pleaded no contest in court Wednesday morning to allegations of falsifying official records.
[VIDEO: Courtroom proceedings: Part 1 | 2 | 3 ]
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Jonathan Irizarry, 27, of Altamonte Springs, on two counts of falsifying an official record that contributes to the great bodily harm or death of an individual in the care and custody of a state agency.
Irizarry was sentenced to 36 months probation in pleading no contest.
In January and February 2014, Irizarry was a dependency case manager for the Children's Home Society of Central Florida Inc., a subcontractor of Community Based Care of Central Florida, and he was assigned to supervise the three children of Rachel Fryer, officials said.
According to the FDLE, Irizarry documented that he made checks on the children on Jan. 23 and Feb. 6, 2014, and in one instance noted the children were free from bruises.
However, a Jan. 19 photograph of Fryer's daughter, found on Fryer's phone, indicates a bruised and swollen eye and one arm in a sling, the FDLE said.
Additionally, a Feb. 12 postmortem exam of the child showed multiple healing injuries, including cuts, bruises, cigarette burns and bite marks, according to state officials.
The body of Fryer's daughter was found Feb. 11 in a shallow grave in Crescent City, Florida, and Fryer was arrested on murder charges.