6-Month-Old Baby Found Dead Inside Plastic Container, Florida Women Charged

Two Florida women were arrested and charged two months after the death of a 6-month-old baby. The child was found dead in a plastic container on March 1.

Tanya Galvin, 41, was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and violation of probation. She is being held at the Brevard County Jail on no bond. Ricky Nicole Tubbs, 25, was charged with neglect of a child with great bodily harm. She is currently being held at the Volusia County Jail on a bond of $25,000 awaiting extradition to Brevard County.

On March 1, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said that a deputy saw three children between the ages of 2 and 4 walking alone on Caroline Street in Cape Canaveral. After finding out where the children lived, deputies went to the home and found Galvin asleep.

“Galvin advised that she did not know where the children were and assumed they were with Ms. Tubbs,” the sheriff’s office reported, adding that the 2-year-old was “wet and smelled of urine.”

While looking for diapers to change the child, a deputy discovered an infant in a plastic storage container. The child did not have clothes on and was unresponsive. Deputies began CPR until the arrival of paramedics.

“During CPR, water was purged from the child’s mouth and nose. The infant was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased,” a news release said at the time. An autopsy showed that he died of drowning.

Deputies say the baby and another child under the supervision of Tubbs was placed in foster care by the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

A subsequent investigation determined that the victim and another child had been placed in foster care by DCF under the supervision of Tubbs and her paramour, Mario Joseph. Both were the only adults authorized to supervise the children. On the evening before the discovery, Tubbs left the residence leaving the children with Joseph, according to media reports.

Tubbs was to return to the residence prior to Joseph leaving for work the next morning. When she did not return, investigators say Joseph left for work and told Tubbs to return immediately so the children would not have to be in the care of Galvin for a long period of time.

“The investigation further determined that Tubbs had consumed alcohol and narcotics during the evening and did not return to the residence, in violation of the order of DCF, until after the infant had been discovered by deputies,” the news release said.

The investigation concluded that while under the care of Galvin, the infant came in contact with the water, resulting in his death. The infant was then discarded in a plastic container in the children’s room.