HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — The parents of a 7-week-old girl who police say died from blunt force trauma in Hollywood last year were arrested in Jacksonville last week and extradited to Broward County on Thursday.
Hollywood police said Gracie Jai Tellez, 20, and Robert Lee Ingram, 22, were arrested shortly after 2 p.m. last Friday in Jacksonville, Florida, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Jail records show they are both facing charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and neglect of a child causing great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement.
The charges stem from the death of their 7-week-old daughter, who was found unresponsive at the family’s home in the 2200 block of Farragut Street in Hollywood on Oct. 14, 2025, investigators said.
According to an arrest affidavit, Tellez called 911 at about 11:54 a.m. after the girl appeared “non-responsive, pale and cold to the touch.” Officers said they arrived and performed CPR on the girl until Hollywood Fire Rescue medics took over.
Police said the girl was transported as a trauma alert to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, where she was eventually placed on life support.
They said the parents initially told investigators the girl had been fed a bottle, fallen asleep and been placed in a bassinet. Authorities said the parents claimed they checked on the girl shortly afterward and found her cold and unresponsive.
The affidavit states that the girl had been considered healthy before the incident. Medical records reviewed by detectives showed no previous injuries or significant health concerns, and she had been seen by a pediatrician on Oct. 8, 2025, where she was reportedly in good health.
But medical testing soon revealed severe injuries.
According to the affidavit, doctors found a diffuse anoxic brain injury, bleeding in both eyes, retinal detachments and fractures to the back of the skull.
The affidavit states that doctors told investigators the injuries were consistent with “non-accidental head trauma,” including blunt-force trauma and acceleration/deceleration forces applied to the girl’s head and body, which the affidavit described as “violent shaking.”
A Broward County medical examiner later determined the girl’s cause of death was “complications of blunt head trauma” and classified the manner of death as homicide, according to the affidavit.
The girl was declared brain dead on Oct. 18, 2025. She remained on a ventilator until her organs could be procured for transplant on Oct. 22, 2025.
The investigation continued for months.
Detectives said obtained search warrants for the parents’ cellphones and reviewed forensic downloads of the devices. The affidavit says both parents had told investigators they sometimes used FaceTime between their phones as a makeshift baby monitor while the girl slept.
However, investigators said the phone records did not support that account.
Instead, detectives said they found the phones were used extensively to play Call of Duty and watch YouTube during the overnight hours and the morning before the girl was found unresponsive.
According to the affidavit, Ingram’s phone was used to play Call of Duty from about 5:12 a.m. to 8:39 a.m. and again from 10:33 a.m. to 11:49 a.m. — just before the baby was found unresponsive.
Tellez’s phone also showed extended periods of Call of Duty use, including from about 10:38 a.m. until 11:52 a.m. The 911 call was made from her phone at about 11:53 a.m.
“These forensic downloads show the information provided by Gracie Tellez and Robert Ingram was not truthful,” the affidavit states.
Investigators also noted that Ingram gave detectives multiple different accounts of the hours leading up to the girl’s injuries. They said his descriptions differed regarding when the baby was fed, when she slept and how many times she was taken in and out of the bassinet.
Investigators said during a later reenactment at the home, Ingram again provided a different timeline.
The affidavit states that neither parent could provide an explanation for how the girl suffered her fatal injuries.
Police said the medical examiner’s investigation also found skull fractures in both sides of the back of the girl’s skull, along with hemorrhages along her spine.
According to the affidavit, the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office later determined that the girl was well-developed and well-nourished for her age and did not show signs of malnutrition.
Investigators ultimately concluded there was probable cause to believe both parents had failed to provide the care and supervision necessary for their daughter and that their “culpable negligence” contributed to her death.
The affidavit states that the girl was in the care of both parents when her injuries occurred and that investigators found it unlikely they would not have seen or heard the event that caused the injuries given the size and layout of the residence.
Hollywood police spokeswoman Deanna Bettineschi said the agency’s investigation led to the arrest warrants for both parents.
As of Friday morning, Tellez was being held without bond at the Broward Sheriff’s Office North Broward Bureau, while Ingram was being held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail.
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