Homestead parents arrested after severely abused infant dies at hospital: Police

A Homestead couple was arrested on murder charges after their infant daughter who'd been allegedly brutally abused died at a hospital, police said.

Arnelle Arnelia Floyd and Nathan Richard Allen, both 24, were arrested Wednesday on charges of first-degree murder/aggravated child abuse, Miami-Dade jail records showed.

According to an arrest report, on Sunday afternoon, officers responded to Baptist Health Homestead Hospital's pediatric emergency room for a report of a dead infant.

The 6-month-old, identified by police as Nalani Adalee Allen, had been brought to the emergency room by the parents in cardiac arrest, didn't have a pulse and was unresponsive, the report said.

Miami-Dade Corrections

Despite life saving efforts, the infant was pronounced dead.

An X-ray revealed the infant had several fractured ribs in different stages of healing and multiple bruises throughout her torso, consistent with child neglect and or child abuse, the report said.

Both parents were interviewed by Miami-Dade Police homicide detectives, and both said the infant hadn't suffered any injuries from a fall or impact, the report said.

Floyd said the infant had been in good health and didn't have any medical history and denied knowing any reason why the infant died, the report said.

She said the night before she'd placed the infant on the bed where she co-sleeps with the infant and Allen, and woke up in the morning and left the home with the infant and Allen still sleeping, the report said.

Floyd said later that morning she started getting messages from Allen about the infant's wellbeing and when she returned home, Allen was holding their unresponsive daughter, the report said.

Allen told investigators he'd fed the girl some milk and left the victim on the bed while he went downstairs to the kitchen and started cleaning dishes, the report said.

He said he returned an hour later and found the infant lethargic, then contacted Floyd.

Allen said the infant was in good health but would often cry for long periods of time, the report said.

A search warrant at the house found it to be in "disarray," with "multiple holes in the walls the size of a fist as well as dents in the refrigerator door which appear to be shaped in the size of a fist," the report said.

An autopsy of the infant found numerous fresh contusions, internal bleeding, large lacerations to internal organs and blunt force injuries throughout the torso.

The infant's manner of death was classified as a homicide.

There had been numerous reports of domestic violence at the home that were corroborated by neighbors, who said they were violent and involved items or people being thrown into walls, the report said.

It was also discovered that the victim's last visit to a pediatrician had been two days earlier, on May 10, and while the infant was underweight there were no signs of bruising or broken bones, the report said.

Floyd and Allen were arrested and booked into jail. They appeared in court Thursday where a judge ordered they both be held without bond.