JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – News4JAX has obtained more arrest reports connected to a serious case of child abuse in Jacksonville.
Zaben Kinard, 30, and his wife Jasmine Kinard, 28, were arrested and booked into the Duval County jail on July 1. Each face three counts of child neglect with great bodily harm, a second-degree felony.
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Their babysitter, Alexus Wortman, 27, faces three counts of aggravated child abuse and two counts of child neglect with great bodily harm.
Child transferred to Wolfson Children’s Hospital
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was called on June 30, after a child was transferred from Baptist Hospital Town Center to Wolfson Children’s Hospital, due to the severity of his injuries.
A doctor at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, confirmed the child’s injuries included a fractured skull, brain bleed, fractured sternum, fractured ribs in different stages of healing, blood pooling in the stomach and a human bite mark on the left leg, according to the report.
Suspects interviewed at police memorial building
Wortman, Jasmine Kinard and Zaben Kinard — were transported to the Police Memorial Building for questioning according to Wortman’s arrest report.
Police say Wortman told detectives she had been living with Zaben and Jasmine Kinard for approximately one year after meeting Zaben while working at a BP Gas Station/Convenience Mart. She said she became unemployed about two months prior to the arrest and had agreed to babysit the child in exchange for housing, while also working part-time delivering food orders for Walmart.
Three separate incidents detailed in admission: JSO
Wortman admitted to at least three separate incidents in which she caused the child’s injuries between June 11 and June 29, according to her arrest report.
On June 11, Wortman told detectives she woke up in a bad mood and, while alone with the child after the Kinards left for work, became angry and threw an object — possibly a bottle — at the child’s head. Photos shown during the interview confirmed the child’s head and face were swollen, with a bloody circular mark around his left temple and blood in his left eye. Wortman admitted she did not tell the Kinards what happened, fearing they would kick her out.
On June 24, Wortman told detectives she slipped on wet grass while carrying the child from her vehicle, causing the child’s head to strike the rear of the car. She said the Kinards were notified of the fall via text. The following day, June 25, the child was taken back to Baptist Hospital Town Center — but Wortman said the Kinards did not tell medical staff what had actually caused the injuries.
On June 29, Wortman stated she “snapped” after the child made a mess in a playroom. According to the report, she “shoved [the victim] ‘so hard’ into a closet area,” causing his head and face to swell and giving him a black eye. She admitted the child was then placed in a car seat that evening and left in the living room so as not to wake the Kinards — and that she stayed with him overnight because she feared his injuries were life-threatening.
Child diagnosed with brain damage
By the time Wortman was interviewed, medical staff at Wolfson Children’s Hospital had advised detectives that the child had been intubated and that his injuries were so severe they could not ensure he will survive.
Wortman was informed that the child had been diagnosed with brain damage — damage that investigators noted may have been avoided had she disclosed the abuse earlier.
“Alexus admitted she was negligent because she failed at least three times, June 11, June 24 and June 29, 2026, as she was well aware that the victim suffered blunt force trauma at her hands,” a detective wrote in the report.
Wortman told detectives she had delayed reporting the injuries because she feared she would be kicked out of the home and left homeless, and that there would be “no one to bail her out of jail.”
Husband and wife knew abuse was occurring, deputies say
Police say Kinard admitted he knew after three incidents that “there was a pattern” and that he had failed to protect the child. He acknowledged that his wife had confronted him multiple times with her suspicion that Wortman was harming the child.
According to Jasmine Kinard’s arrest report, she knew the baby’s injuries were not the result of allergic reactions — but allowed medical staff to treat him under that assumption on multiple occasions.
Kinard told detectives she and her husband discussed the situation but agreed not to “rock the boat”.
Zaben Kinard, Jasmine Kinard and Wortman were booked into the Duval County jail on July 1.
News4JAX is still working to obtain their booking photos.