'Burn the infant': Woman convinced child to try to kill 2-month-old on Roblox, police say
Tara Sykes, 36, was arrested in connection to what the Escambia County Sheriff called one of the most disturbing cases he'd seen in more than 40 years.
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A Florida woman who used an online video game to convince a 10-year-old girl to try and kill a 2-month-old boy is facing charges including attempted homicide and aggravated child abuse, records show.
Tara Alexis Sykes, 36, was arrested on the felony charges Friday in connection to what Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons called one of the most disturbing cases he'd seen in his more than 40-year career.
According to a sheriff's news release, on Oct. 17 a Gulf Coast Kids House official contacted law enforcement in reference to a 2-month-old infant who suffered major injuries after being dropped on a kitchen floor by the 10-year-old girl.
The home in the city of Pensocola, is a nonprofit advocacy center serving child abuse victims, in the Florida Panhandle south of the Alabama state line.
According to an arrest report obtained by Paste BN, the baby boy suffered a skull fracture when dropped on his head.
According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, the investigators learned Sykes allegedly used the chat function in the online game Roblox to convince the girl to torture and kill the infant.
On Wednesday, sheriff’s spokesperson Morgan Lewis confirmed to Paste BN the baby boy survived.
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Woman used Roblox and told girl about 'various methods to kill the infant'
According to the arrest report, Sykes communicated with the 10-year-old girl through the platform and instructed her "on various methods to kill the infant."
Paste BN is not releasing Sykes' relationship with either child to protect their identities.
Escambia County court and sheriff's office records show Sykes, born in Honolulu now living in Pensacola, remained jailed without bond Wednesday.
As of Wednesday morning, an attorney of record for Sykes' new case was not listed online.
Sykes, who court records show was arrested for crimes involving a child in another case earlier this year, is slated to be arraigned Nov. 8.
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'Drown the infant ... burn the infant ... drop the infant'
According to the latest investigation, officials wrote in the report, Sykes told the 10-year-old girl to "drown the infant in the bathtub, burn the infant with scalding water, and drop the infant on the floor to kill the infant."
In addition, officials wrote, Sykes instructed the girl how to kill two temporary guardians the 10-year-old was living with "by cutting their throats with a knife while they slept and burning their house by dousing bed sheets with aerosol spray and setting them on fire."
The 10-year-old girl, the report continues, doused the sheets "but was unable to carry out the instructions."
The girl told officials "she was terrified" of Sykes and obeyed Sykes out fear she would be killed as well, the Pensacola News Journal, part of the Paste BN Network, reported.
The adult daughter of the guardians told law enforcement she found a lighter and bed sheets doused in aerosol spray after discovering screenshots of messages between Sykes and the 10-year-old.
"I've seen a lot in my career, but, when you hear about and you see the circumstances like this here, you're still amazed at the cruelty people can have," Simmons said. "In this case it's toward a 2-month-old infant. To me, it doesn't get more evil than that."
Simmons said Sykes' behavior was not random, and confirmed she has a relationship with the 10-year-old girl, but did not elaborate.
Sykes and her husband previously arrested
Earlier this year, on May 28, Escambia County court records show Sykes was charged with felony neglect of a child after investigators learned she and her husband, James Sykes, allowed a 20-year-old man to live in their home after he impregnated their teen daughter.
Online court records show James Sykes due in court on the child neglect case on Nov. 5. His attorney could not immediately be reached.
Paste BN has reached out to Tara Sykes' attorney in that case as well.
Court papers go on to say her daughter was 31 weeks pregnant and appeared to be suffering from malnutrition. Deputies discovered Sykes and her husband both knew their daughter was pregnant as early as November 2023 after allegedly being "sexually battered" by 20-year-old Kyle Myers.
After arresting the teen's parents, investigators allegedly discovered a thumb drive containing messages between Myers and the teen about having sex and being pregnant. The News Journal reported Myers has not been charged for having sex with Sykes' teen daughter, despite her being below the legal age of consent.
Myers was charged with one count of writing or sending a threat to kill or injure a person after Skyes' friend reported receiving a threatening Facebook message from Myers in July court records show read in part, "I'm going to gut Tara and slit her throat."
Court records show Myers is due in court on that charge Jan. 15.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.