Federal immigration authorities are seeking custody of a Honduran national accused of fatally abusing his three-year-old nephew in Florida, according to officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Samuel Antonio Maldonado-Erazo, described by authorities as an illegal migrant who entered the United States in 2021, is currently being held in Escambia County, Florida, where he faces charges connected to the child’s death. ICE has lodged a detainer request with the local sheriff’s office, asking to take custody of Maldonado-Erazo if he is released from local jurisdiction.
According to ICE, Maldonado-Erazo had been allowed into the United States under policies in place during the Biden administration after crossing the border unlawfully in August 2021. Authorities say he later settled in western Florida.
The case centers on the death of a three-year-old boy who had been placed in Maldonado-Erazo’s care after his mother was deported from the United States in January. Officials say the child remained in the country after the deportation and was left with his uncle rather than accompanying his mother back to Honduras.
Emergency responders were called to a location in Escambia County on March 4 after receiving a 911 call reporting that the child was suffering cardiac arrest. Medical personnel attempted life-saving measures before transporting the toddler to a hospital, where he later died.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said the child suffered extensive injuries that investigators believe were the result of severe abuse. According to authorities, the injuries included multiple blunt-force traumas, burns, broken bones, and internal damage.
Officials reported that the toddler sustained at least 17 blows to the head, a broken collarbone, multiple fractured ribs, and a pancreas that had been severed by blunt force trauma. One rib was reportedly detached from the spine. Investigators also noted evidence suggesting possible sexual abuse.
“Life-saving measures were attempted but unfortunately, he passed,” Simmons said in a statement describing the case. Authorities concluded that the child’s injuries and alleged neglect contributed to his death.
Investigators also reported that Maldonado-Erazo had taken the child to work earlier that day and allegedly ignored signs that the toddler was in severe physical distress.
ICE Director Todd Lyons condemned the incident in a public statement, calling the alleged crime deeply disturbing.
“This crime is absolutely sickening,” Lyons said. “This little boy suffered extensively and died when his mother abandoned him to Maldonado-Erazo’s care — and Maldonado-Erazo himself is an illegal alien who never should have been in this country in the first place.”
Maldonado-Erazo was encountered by immigration agents Thursday at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, where he remains in custody while facing manslaughter charges.
Authorities say Maldonado-Erazo’s three children — two of whom are U.S. citizens — have been placed in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families. His wife has also reportedly been taken into custody by law enforcement.
Florida law requires local authorities to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, including honoring ICE detainer requests. The policy has contributed to Florida becoming one of the states with the highest number of immigration-related arrests in recent years.
Federal officials have also pointed to the case as part of a broader debate over immigration enforcement and family separation policies. Lyons said immigration authorities encourage migrants facing deportation orders to bring their children with them when leaving the United States.
“I encourage parents to self-deport with their children,” Lyons said. “But even if they choose not to do that, ICE gives them the opportunity to be removed with their kids.”
According to ICE, the child’s mother declined that option and left the boy in the United States when she was deported earlier this year.
