JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a 4-year-old girl found critically injured at a Baymeadows apartment complex of Friday night died, her parents were arrested.
John Ross Norfleet, 31, and Shavonn Norfleet, 33, were booked into jail Saturday afternoon, charged with aggravated child abuse and aggravated battery on a child using a deadly weapon. Monday afternoon, the charges were upgraded to second-degree murder.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said when paramedics responded to a medical call at the Fountains at Deerwood apartment complex late Friday night they recognized possible signs of abuse and called police.
The girl was taken to Wolfson Children's Hospital where she died.
Police said the child's parents were questioned, then arrested.
For the past two years John Norfleet has taught math at Andrew Jackson High School.
The school's website includes biography of Norfleet, which mentions his wife, Shavonn, and three daughters.
"The district's process regarding employees who have been arrested and charged with a crime -- particularly an alleged crime where staff have direct contact with students -- is to remove them from the work environment pending the completion of an internal investigation," the district said in a statement. "The individual would be assigned to other duties outside the school and away from all student contact."
Duval County school officials released his personnel file. He was hired from Detroit, where he taught math for four years. Norfleet's first teacher evaluation in the county rated him effective, enabling him to get a pay raise.
One woman who was listed as a reference on Norfleet's resume called him one of the nicest men she'd ever met.
The Department of Children and Families officials told News4Jax that they had no prior involvement with the Norfleets.
"The (couple's) two surviving children are in protective custody," DCF spokesman John Harrell said. "They've been through a very tough ordeal. They've lost their sister. What we need to do is help them in any way we can, counseling, therapy, any serves we can provide to help these children."
Harrell added that DCF will fully investigate the case, as it does with all deaths of children. He also asked anyone who suspects a child is being abused or neglected to call the DCF's abuse hotline at 800-96-ABUSE or 800-962-2873.
Both John Norfleet and Shavonn Norfleet are due back in court Feb. 23.