On April 9, 2023, 17-month-old Elijah Jackson was admitted to Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, after being found unresponsive while in the care of his mother's paramour, Tracorvis Strickland. His mother, Cornelia Roberts, had left the child with Strickland while she went out with friends. Strickland claimed the child began choking and vomiting during a nap and called 911. The child presented with extensive injuries including brain bleeding, bruised ear, swollen lip, bruised side, bruised leg, bruised buttocks, and—per the grandmother's account—four broken ribs, a broken foot, and a chipped vertebra. Despite life-saving efforts, Elijah had no brain activity and was removed from life support on April 11, 2023. The Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be hypoxic encephalopathy following cardiopulmonary arrest due to blunt impact to the head, and ruled the manner of death a homicide. The Child Protective Team found positive findings for abusive head trauma, fractures, and bruising. The mother had previously witnessed the paramour slam the child onto a seat and had observed unexplained bruises. Strickland pled guilty to second degree murder and aggravated child abuse and was sentenced to life (30 years) in prison; Roberts pled guilty to child neglect and was sentenced to five years of probation.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
The fatality report states the mother "left the toddler in the care of the paramour while she went out with friends." In a follow-up interview, the mother admitted she "had witnessed the paramour slam the toddler onto a seat when the toddler was misbehaving" and had previously observed bruises on the toddler. Despite these warning signs, she continued to leave the child in his care. The mother was ultimately convicted of child neglect, and DCF verified findings against her for the child's death.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The fatality report states the mother "witnessed the paramour slam the toddler onto a seat when the toddler was misbehaving." The cause of death was ruled "blunt impact to the head with subdermal hematoma" and the manner was homicide. The child had extensive injuries including "a bruised ear, swollen lip, bruised side, bruised leg, and bruised buttocks." The news article adds the grandmother's account of "four broken ribs, bruises from head to toe, a broken foot" and a chipped vertebra. The CPT found "positive findings of physical abuse for abusive head trauma, fractures, and bruising."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
The fatality report states: "The First Coast Child Protective Team (CPT) completed a medical records review and had positive findings of physical abuse for abusive head trauma, fractures, and bruising." Additionally, the cause of death included "blunt impact to the head with subdermal hematoma" and "bleeding in the brain."
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The fatality report states DCF "closed the investigation on October 24, 2024, with verified findings of death due to physical injury and internal injuries by the paramour and mother." The mother, Cornelia Roberts, was arrested and "pled guilty to child neglect and was sentenced to five years of probation." She left the child with the paramour despite having witnessed him physically abuse the toddler.
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
The fatality report identifies Tracorvis Strickland as the mother's "Paramour" in the family composition chart. He was caring for the child when the injuries occurred. The fatality report states: "On April 19, 2024, the paramour pled guilty to second degree murder and aggravated child abuse. He was sentenced to life (30 years) in prison." DCF verified findings against him for the child's death.
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The fatality report states: "Based on LE's investigation, the mother and paramour were arrested. On April 19, 2024, the paramour pled guilty to second degree murder and aggravated child abuse. He was sentenced to life (30 years) in prison. On June 5, 2025, the mother pled guilty to child neglect and was sentenced to five years of probation." The news article confirms both arrests and identifies the original charges.
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The news article quotes Sharon Roberts (stepmother of the child's mother) who "ultimately places blame on Strickland, who she pointed out has a history of domestic violence."
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
The news article states that Sharon Roberts "pointed out [Strickland] has a history of domestic violence." This reference to a "history" of domestic violence indicates prior criminal behavior predating this fatal incident. While it comes from a family member rather than official records, it is a clear assertion of prior conduct.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the sources. First, the mother's charges were significantly reduced from aggravated manslaughter (per the news article: "Roberts was interviewed by police on Monday and was charged with aggravated manslaughter") to child neglect with five years probation (per the fatality report). Second, there is a notable discrepancy in Tracorvis Strickland's reported age: the fatality report lists him as 29 at the time of the incident, while the news article identifies him as 39. Third, the news article reports additional injuries not mentioned in the fatality report, including "four broken ribs, bruises from head to toe, a broken foot" and "one of his vertebrae on his spine was cleared or chipped," as described by the grandmother. Finally, the fatality report explicitly notes "The mother and child have no history with Department," meaning there were no prior CPS reports despite the mother having witnessed the paramour slam the toddler and having observed unexplained bruises on the child.
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