JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Details related to the weekend death of a 4-year-old child were released Tuesday afternoon by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Police said the girl, Jada Norfleet, went into cardiac arrest and died over the weekend. Authorities said she was beaten to death by a piece of wood as punishment.
The child's father, John Norfleet, and her stepmother, Shavonn Norfleet, were arrested in connection with the girl's death. John and Shavonn Norfleet are charged with murder and aggravated child abuse.
"Both suspects were using a 1x2 piece of lumber to issue discipline against the victim," said JSO Asst. Chief Chris Butler. "This happened whenever the child would do something that the parents deemed to be inappropriate. The parents would then beat the child."
Investigators said the abuse had gone on for at least a couple of months.
"It's a beating. I'm not trying to minimize it by saying discipline, they beat the child," Butler said.
Butler said JSO is still looking into whether the other two children in the home, ages 6 and 1, were disciplined the same way.
Investigators say the Norfleets had no prior criminal history and the Florida Department of Children and Families had not had any previous contact with Jada.
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