Florida Couple Arrested After 3-Year-Old Found Dead In Woods

The mother of a 3-year-old Florida girl and her boyfriend were arrested after the child was found dead in the woods Friday.

Okaloosa County Sheriff Larry Ashley said officers were called to Crestview city around 12:30 a.m. EST Friday after the child, Adelynn Merrell, was reported missing by the couple.

They said the child was last seen playing in their backyard. However, after an intense search, the mother, 23-year old Destinee Merrell told investigators her boyfriend, 29-year old Cory Hagwell, had “kicked the little girl in the head and locked her in a closet in the master bedroom Thursday night because she had gotten out of her car seat,” Ashley said.

Adelynn’s body was found dumped in the woods east of Crestview off Palmetto Avenue around 4:30 p.m. EST Friday.

An autopsy revealed she had a possible skull fracture on the back of the head caused by blunt force, according to NBC News affiliate WJHG-TV.

“She had apparent head trauma, but an autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause and manner of death,” Ashley stated.

According to investigators, Merrell and Hagwell gave conflicting stories as to exactly what happened during the course of their ongoing investigation over the past two days. However, CBS News affiliate WYTY said another child in the home stated he saw Hagwell kick Adelynn while she was playing and heard Merrell say “stop Cory”. He reportedly added he last saw the girl in a bedroom closet on the floor. She was not talking at the time and was not seen or heard again.

"During the jail interview Merrell also told investigators Hagwell lost his job about one month ago, and began exhibiting escalating violence towards Adelynn. Merrell described hearing thuds and the sounds of Adelynn crying fifteen to sixteen times over that period. She said Hagwell would also withhold food from Adelynn and put her in the closet for extended periods of time," Ashley said.

Meanwhile, a 5-year-old boy in Merrell’s care was found to be suffering from malnutrition, with “bones in all regions of his body exposed,” Northwest Florida Daily News reported. He was taken to the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center Friday for a wellness exam and was found to be weighing less than 33 pounds (14 kilograms), a sheriff’s office report cited by the newspaper said. The relationship between the children was not disclosed.

Investigators further determined Merrell had left Adelynn and another child alone, locked in a room, Sept. 1. The children were found by neighbors when they broke a window open. None of the children involved in the case were born out of the relationship between Merrell and Hagwell, Northwest Florida Daily News reported

Merrell was jailed on three counts of child neglect and one count of aggravated child battery and Hagwell faced one count of aggravated child abuse. Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said additional charges were likely.