A 12-year-old boy in the US has died after a man taking care of him allegedly forced the child into back-to-back ice baths and strenuous exercises. According to the New York Post, the boy, identified as Jadako Taylor, died on Saturday. He was allegedly ordered by Anthony McCants, 23, to do pushups and other exercises in between the “cold plunges” before he went into cardiac arrest and later died. McCants has been charged with felony child endangerment in connection with the death of the 12-year-old, according to the Akron Municipal Court.
In a statement, the police said that McCants was responsible for the safety of Jadako. He was watching the boy around 5 am when he made him take two “ice baths” that lasted 45 minutes with short bouts of physical activity in between, the outlet reported.
The 23-year-old then also ordered Jadako to do another 30-minute “ice bath” and more exercises. “These incidents were used as corporal punishment,” the complaint alleged, per the Post.
The 12-year-old started to “vomit and seize” before medics were called to his home and attempted to save his life. He was pronounced dead at Akron Children’s Hospital nearly 90 minutes later. His core body temperature was only 74 degrees, which is more than 20 degrees lower than the average body temperature for a child. Hypothermia is a condition “that occurs when core body temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit,” per the Mayo Clinic.
An autopsy report of Jadako’s cause of death is still pending.
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McCants, who lives in Akron, was known to Jadako’s family. But the relationship between the two is not known. A caller who dialed the police when the child started having a medical emergency claimed it was his little brother, per the outlet.
The 23-year-old was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child on Monday and detained on $500,000 bail.