A family is mourning the loss of a 12-year-old Ohio boy as police investigate why someone he knew would force him to engage in cruel acts of corporal punishment that would ultimately cost him his life. Jadako Taylor was in the care of 23-year-old Anthony McCants between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 22. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, McCants forced the tween to take two 45-minute ice baths with rounds of “push-ups and other physical activity” in between.
As the Akron Beacon Journal reported, the activity was used as a form of corporal punishment. But when Taylor began to “vomit and seize,” McCants called 911 and told dispatchers his little brother “busted his head.” He went on to tell the operator that he was performing chest compressions on the 12-year-old who was “breathing but unresponsive” and who “threw up out of nowhere.” The dispatcher told McCants to keep Taylor on his side until paramedics could reach them.
Although EMS tried to revive Taylor when they arrived at the home, they were unable to save him. He was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead. According to KGNS TV, Taylor’s body temperature was 74 degrees at the time of his death, more than 20 degrees lower than normal than the normal child’s body temperature of 98.6 degrees.
It’s still unclear how McCants and Taylor knew each other, but KGNS TV, reports that McCants is “known to the family.” According to Akron Municipal Court documents, McCants was arrested on March 22 and charged with endangering a child, which is a third-degree felony. His bond was set for $500,000, but his trial date has not yet been set.