Dad Arrested On Manslaughter Charge In Death Of 12-Year-Old Boy; Left Him In Laundry Room To Die

A Florida man has been arrested for allegedly beating his 12-year-old son and leaving him in the family’s laundry room to die.

Jason Godleski, 33, of Palm Bay, has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and failure to report a death. According to Palm Bay police, the man reported on Oct. 22 the death of his son, Noah Godleski, but did not say how he died, WFTV reported Wednesday.

The Palm Bay Police Department said that Jason contacted them from a dispatch line in the lobby of the department and told them about his son’s death inside his Palm Bay home.

On arrival at the house, officers discovered Noah’s body in the laundry room. He appeared to have been dead for a "lengthy" period and had signs of trauma on his body, the outlet reported.

Police officers say they contacted Jason about the discovery and he told them that he knew he was going to jail but refused to answer any questions without a lawyer present. He also told police that he shared the home with his girlfriend and three other children, according to Florida Today.

The report said that police later called Jason’s girlfriend, Samarial Dubose, who was staying in Connecticut with their three other children. She told the officers that Noah had been "misbehaving" on Oct. 17 and as a punishment Jason locked him in the laundry room. He then left Noah there for several days and isolated him from the rest of the family.

Dubose said that a few days after the incident, Jason told her that he was going to drive her and the three other children to Connecticut. He added that he wanted to "give her a break" from the victim, according to an arrest affidavit.

According to the WFTV report, Jason told a family member over a recorded call that Noah was alive for a few days but he was dead when they left for Connecticut.

Jason’s mother, Cindy Godleski, told police Tuesday that her son said he woke up to Noah throwing objects at Dubose. He then told her that he hit Noah "too hard in the face and back of the head." But, he added that Noah’s death was an accident, the affidavit stated.

Cindy told police that Jason used Noah’s hand to scratch his own face so it would look like he had self-inflicted wounds.

Jason Godleski is being held at the Brevard County Jail without bail.