*A woman in Miami Shores, Florida, has been arrested and charged with child abuse and elderly abuse after allegedly mistreating her 13-year-old son and a 65-year-old man who had taken them in nearly a decade ago when they were homeless.
Jasmine Jean-Baptiste, 31, faces charges of aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm and aggravated abuse of an elderly or disabled adult, TooFab reports.
The investigation began when Jean-Baptiste reported her son missing after he ran away from home. The teen claimed that his mother had punished him by forcing him into a squatted position for hours, denying him water. This punishment was similar to the abuse he experienced from his stepfather, who had previously abused him so severely that he suffered permanent scars, including a lost tooth. The boy revealed that his mother continued the same abusive practices, including slapping him and hitting him with a belt buckle.
The 65-year-old man, who had taken Jean-Baptiste and her son in when they were living in a car, corroborated the abuse claims. He shared that he was “scared” of Jean-Baptiste, stating that he had been physically attacked by her multiple times, including an incident where she allegedly struck him with a knife-sharpening tool.
She will jump on me,” he told detectives, according to the arrest affidavit. He also claimed she “struck him across the face with a knife sharpening tool” and “sucker-punched him” so hard that he was left partially blind in one eye and lost a tooth, according to ABC affiliate WPLG.
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⚠️ WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of abuse
Jasmine Jean-Baptiste, 31, of Miami Shores, Florida, has been arrested for allegedly torturing her 13-year-old son & a 65-year-old man who took them into his home. Jean-Baptiste is accused of forcing her son to squat… pic.twitter.com/oB7CN5xTZm
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) March 18, 2025
“She is f–king strong,” the man reportedly told police, adding, “I can’t hit her. You know, a male would be blamed for hitting a female.”
When speaking with police, the man “became visibly emotional and choked up when reassured that we were there to support him.” He told police, “I’d rather you worry about the kids.”
Police said the man “further provided photographs from various incidents, which depicted bruising, contusions and facial lacerations consistent with his account of abuse.”
Police wrote that Jean-Baptiste “exploit(ed) his compassion and concern for her children.”
After the boy ran away, police located him at a school where his godmother was employed. He had reportedly fled the home while being punished after his mother left him unsupervised to take a bath.
According to the affidavit, one “witness reported observing a significant and consistent pattern of abuse, including multiple instances of battery on various occasions.”
Jean-Baptiste is currently being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correction Center.
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