Jacksonville police say a quiet Mixon Town block is reeling after a hospital visit exposed what investigators describe as a stark case of child neglect. A nurse rushed one girl for emergency care when she arrived at the hospital so thin that staff immediately called authorities, triggering an investigation that ended with five children taken from a home and their caregivers in handcuffs.
According to investigators, the children were severely underweight, and several had cuts or bruises. The adults now face criminal neglect accusations while child-welfare officials untangle where the children will live next. Neighbors say the arrests have shaken the area and drawn fresh attention to what is happening behind closed doors on their street.
Police identified the adults as 37-year-old Anthony Jones and 33-year-old Erica Bryant. Both were arrested Saturday on child-neglect charges and are each being held on $125,000 bond. Authorities say a nurse contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families after a child was brought to the emergency room, and officers who went to the couple’s Mixon Town residence found four more extremely thin children inside. All five were taken to Wolfson Children’s Hospital for evaluation.
Doctors told investigators the children were severely underweight for their ages, with recorded weights ranging from 44 to 75 pounds, and that several had cuts and bruises on a left ankle and a left wrist. According to Action News Jax, the initial report from the scene also noted that none of the children had eaten that day, even though the kitchen held deli meat, bread and frozen food.
What officers found
Officers say they arrived at the Mixon Town home around 10 p.m. and walked into a scene that did not match the outward appearance of a stocked household. Inside, investigators reported children who were visibly emaciated and in need of immediate care. One responding officer described prominent, visible bones on a child, and medical staff later documented signs of malnourishment in at least a couple of the youngsters.
The arrests come against a troubling backdrop for the neighborhood. Earlier this summer, a June workplace fatality along the nearby industrial strip jolted residents, drawing scrutiny to the area through coverage of the Mixon Town worksite death.
How reporting works
Under Florida law, medical teams and other mandated reporters are required to contact the Department of Children and Families if they suspect a child is being abused or neglected. DCF runs a round-the-clock central abuse hotline as well as an online portal where concerns can be submitted at any hour.
Once a call or online tip comes in, the agency screens the information and can open a protective investigation within legally defined timeframes, coordinating with hospitals and law enforcement to secure children’s immediate safety and address placement needs. Details on how to report suspected abuse or neglect, including phone numbers and online forms, are available on the department’s website at myflfamilies.com.
Expert warning
Experts say what happens in the early years of a child’s life can echo for decades. “When you’re not nurtured and fed, there are extreme anxiety, trauma and long-term problems connecting and trusting others,” said child psychologist Lynn Wadelton, whose comments were included in coverage of the case.
Childhood malnutrition, specialists note, can stunt physical growth and derail development in ways that may require years of medical and mental health treatment. Wadelton told Action News Jax that children “don’t always” relearn trust, even when they receive intensive help later on.
Legal implications
Florida law classifies a caregiver’s willful failure to provide basic necessities, including food and medical care, as abuse or neglect. Those definitions and potential penalties are set out in state statute and can rise to felony charges depending on the level of harm to the child.
Chapter 827 of the Florida Statutes outlines criminal child abuse and neglect offenses, while Chapter 39 governs dependency cases that allow the state to remove children from a home and can ultimately affect parental rights. In cases like this, prosecutors and DCF move on related but separate tracks, with the state pursuing criminal responsibility and DCF focusing on immediate safety and long-term placement.
Jones and Bryant remain behind bars as detectives and child-welfare workers continue their investigations. Court records and official statements will determine what happens next in both the criminal case and any dependency proceedings. Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact local law enforcement or the Florida Abuse Hotline.
