On February 22, 2024, 4-month-old Willow Kubai was left in the care of her father, Jacob Kubai (22), while her mother was at work. That evening, the father brought the infant to Bartow Regional Medical Center unresponsive and pulseless. She was airlifted to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, where she was found to have no brain activity. The infant was pronounced dead on February 25, 2024. Medical examination revealed a skull fracture spanning temple to temple, multiple layers of brain hemorrhaging, a hemorrhaged spine, a minimum of 10 blunt force impacts to the forehead, and 10 rib fractures in the healing stage (indicating prior abuse). The medical examiner determined the skull fracture was caused by striking a hard object and the rib fractures resulted from squeezing the child. The father's account was contradicted by Walmart surveillance footage, and the sheriff believed the baby may have died before the father left the home. The cause of death was ruled as blunt force head trauma, and the manner of death was homicide. The father was arrested on March 5, 2024, and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse, among other charges.
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)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Multiple sources describe extensive inflicted injuries. The WFLA article quotes Sheriff Judd: "The baby was literally beaten to death." The medical examiner noted "the baby appeared to have suffered a minimum of 10 strikes to her forehead," the skull fracture was "from striking a hard object," and the rib fractures were "from squeezing the child." The fatality report documents "scratches on the back of her head, bruises on her forehead, scratches around her right eye, three scratches on her nose, a brain bleed, fractures on the front and back of her ribs, and a skull fracture across her forehead from temple to temple."
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 explicitly states: "On February 25, 2024, the 4-month-old infant passed away after suffering apparent abusive head trauma on February 22, 2024." The cause of death was listed as "Head Trauma" and the autopsy showed brain bleeds, skull fracture, and multiple blunt force trauma injuries to the head.
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?
The fatality report identifies Jacob Kubai as the "Father" in the family composition chart and states "Verified Findings of Death, Physical Injury, Internal Injuries, and Bone Fracture as to the infant, with the father as the caregiver responsible." He was arrested and charged with Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child and Aggravated Child Abuse.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
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)?
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: "On March 5, 2024, the father was arrested and charged with Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child, Aggravated Child Abuse, and two counts of Knowingly Abuse Child without Bodily Harm." The WFLA article further notes he was held on no bond and the fox8 article confirms the arrest announcement by the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
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?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge across the sources. First, the WFLA article reports that the father claimed to have gone to Walmart with the baby, but "surveillance footage did not show him at the store with the baby," contradicting his account. Sheriff Judd stated he "believed the baby had died before Kubai went to Walmart." Second, the fox8 article notes that the autopsy revealed "10 rib fractures that were in the healing stage," indicating a pattern of prior physical abuse that went undetected, despite the fatality report confirming "The infant and father do not have any prior abuse report history." Third, when interviewed by detectives, the WFLA article states that "he was coherent, but as soon as he realized he was in trouble, Kubai told them that 'none of this is real'" and "he didn't show remorse or even shed a tear." These details are significant for understanding the deceptive behavior of the perpetrator, the likelihood of prior undetected abuse, and the gap in the child welfare system's awareness.
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