A Florida mother went on trial this week for the death of her toddler son in 2021.
Erica Dotson and her boyfriend, Joshua Manns, both face charges in the death of 3-year-old Jameson Nance, WESH reports, but a judge severed their cases earlier this year. A date has not been set for Manns’ trial.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Dotson called 911 on June 11, 2021, saying that Manns had called her at work to say the little boy had possibly drowned. By the time she got home, Manns was gone, and little Jameson was dead on the bathroom floor.
Manns had fled to Georgia, where he was later arrested.
An autopsy revealed that the boy had not drowned and instead had multiple healing and fresh injuries, including a broken rib, brain swelling, and head injuries. Other injuries included a broken tooth “pushed into” his gums, a cut on his jaw, a fractured arm, a ruptured esophagus, and seven stab wounds to his head
including a broken tooth “pushed into” his gums, a cut on his jaw, a fractured right rib and left arm, a ruptured esophagus, and seven separate stab wounds — some fresh and some healing — according to Law&Crime.
While Dotson’s defense contends she knew nothing about Manns’ abuse of the child, prosecutors say they found multiple messages between the couple in the weeks prior to his death, discussing the injuries and how to cover them up.
The state Department of Children and Family Services was also aware of problems in the household but apparently did not take any action. According to an arrest affidavit, the boy broke his leg in an “unwitnessed event” in 2019 and then again in 2021, when the adults claimed he had fallen off a curb.
The second broken leg reported led DCF to learn of other “suspicious” incidents, including “injuries to his face.”
“The story was that the family had been spending time by the pond and the child fell, rolled into or near the water and was attacked by a duck,” the affidavit says.
The text messages reveal more, many concerning Manns’ complaints that the boy was “not using the toilet,” which would lead to punishment. Dotson, the affidavit said, would text “her support” for Manns’ punishment, even thanking him for “always dealing with him for me.” She frequently referred to the toddler as a “jerk” or a “d***.”
The boy’s biological father, James Nance, was among the first witnesses at Dotson’s trial, WESH reported. He testified that a verbal custody arrangement they had fell apart once Dotson began dating Manns, forcing him to take legal action just to see his son. But no agreement was ever reached before the boy was murdered.
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[Featured image: Erica Dotson/Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and Jameson Nance/West Melbourne Police Department]
