Attacking an innocent child when you’re an adult responsible for their care is beyond my understanding.

Sadly, this happens far too often. We need to stand up, call it out, and make sure the adult responsible is held to account and faces real justice.

Rushed to the hospital

A Florida man, described as a ”monster”, will now spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of the first-degree murder of two-year-old Jacklyn Schwingel, who had been left in his care.

In June 2025, the jury took less than two hours to convict 27-year-old Travis Ray Thompson, following a tragic incident that occurred on May 2, 2022.

Little Jacklyn had been entrusted to Thompson just one week after her mother had ended her relationship with him. According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Jacklyn’s mother left for work that morning, leaving her daughter with Thompson.

Less than half an hour later, Thompson called to report that something was wrong. When her mother returned home, Jacklyn was unresponsive and rushed to the hospital, where doctors noticed serious internal injuries and immediately contacted authorities.

Autopsy exposes mom’s boyfriend

The Medical Examiner’s Office later determined that Jacklyn had suffered severe trauma to her torso. Investigators said that Thompson had applied significant force to her upper and lower body, causing life-threatening injuries.

During questioning, Thompson claimed he had been in another room and only discovered Jacklyn after hearing a loud noise.

“Despite being the only person left with the victim, Thompson claimed he did not know how the victim became injured,” the State Attorney’s Office stated.

Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson commented on the sentence, saying, “This monster stole the life of an innocent child, and today, the justice system made sure he will never walk free again. Life in prison is too good for this kind of evil.”

Another chilling case

The case echoes other tragic child abuse cases in recent years. One of the most tragic cases in recent memory involves the 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro.

Last week, Jake Haro, 32, pleaded guilty to the murder of his 7-month-old son, Emmanuel Haro, in California. He admitted to charges including assault causing the child’s death and filing a false police report.

Emmanuel’s mother, Rebecca Haro, 41, pleaded not guilty, with a preliminary hearing set for November 3, the same day Jake is scheduled for sentencing.

Emmanuel was reported missing on August 14, and investigators later determined he had been severely abused over time.

Riverside County DA Michael Hestrin noted that Jake had a history of child abuse and criticized a previous probation ruling, saying, “If that judge had done his job as he should have done, Emmanuel would be alive today.”

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.