Child Suffers Severe Burns After Being Placed In Piping Hot Water; Couple Arrested

A couple in Florida was charged after a child was allegedly bathed in piping hot water which resulted in second-and third-degree burns on about half of her body.

The Jacksonville couple was identified as Na'Duania Jones, 22, and Charles Francis Jr., 20, according to an arrest report obtained by News4JAX Monday. However, the couple's relationship with the child remained unknown.

The incident took place in September when Francis was taking care of the unidentified child while Jones stepped out and went to a store. Francis initially told investigators he was giving a bath to the child because she soiled herself. He then placed her in the sink and claimed hot water came out of the faucet that was meant for cold water.

Francis also maintained he stepped away from the child for a few minutes and returned immediately when he heard her crying. He found the child covered in burns due to the hot water. He said he immediately contacted his girlfriend and asked her to hurry back home after the child suffered burns all over her body.

The child was eventually taken to the burn unit at a hospital in Gainesville for treatment.

As the investigation ensued, officers said the burn patterns that were found across half of the child's body suggested that she was intentionally placed in the boiling hot water and kept there for a long time, Local Today reported. Investigators also tested the hot water from the faucet and found it to be 140 degrees in temperature.

In addition to this, investigators found the child didn't receive timely medical attention. They learned that Jones contacted a number of people over the phone and even visited someone at their house after the child suffered the burns, according to the outlet. The child was taken to the hospital only after someone advised Jones to call 911.

Other details regarding the incident, including the child's current health condition, were not provided by the authorities.

Jones also tested positive for THC, alcohol, amphetamine, and methamphetamine during the investigation, the police report said.

Officers arrested Jones and Francis on the basis of the evidence suggesting the child was intentionally placed in scalding water which caused severe burns to her body. The duo was charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect, officials said. They were released from jail after posting bonds and will appear in court in January.