Autopsy results show 2-year-old died from severe blunt force trauma to the head

Published: Jul. 15, 2022 at 3:03 PM CDT
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HOUMA, La. (WVUE) - Autopsy results show Ezekiel Harry, a 2-year-old allegedly killed by his mother and her boyfriend before dumping his body in a trash can in Houma, died from severe blunt force trauma to the head, according to the Terrebonne Parish Coroner’s Office.

Ezekiel Harry, 2, was last seen around noon Tuesday (July 12) at a walking track near Main and...
Ezekiel Harry, 2, was last seen around noon Tuesday (July 12) at a walking track near Main and Mahler streets in Houma.(Louisiana State Police)

Harry’s body was found in a duffel bag stuffed in a city garbage can on Tuesday, July 12.

The morning after, Houma officials said the case had rocked their community.

Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman said the boy’s mother - 28-year-old Maya Jones - called authorities Tuesday to report someone in a gray truck had snatched the toddler off the roadway and fled the area. Houma police almost immediately cast doubt on the mother’s account, saying detectives quickly developed information that led them to suspect foul play.

More: Missing 2-year-old Houma boy found dead in trash can; child’s mother, her boyfriend arrested

Coleman showed snapshots from surveillance video that showed Jones and her live-in boyfriend Jermaine Robinson walking and driving around with a black duffel bag that allegedly contained the boy’s lifeless body, before dumping it in a trash can on Daspit Street.

Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman showed snapshots from a surveillance video that showed Jones...
Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman showed snapshots from a surveillance video that showed Jones walking and driving around with a black duffel bag allegedly containing the boy’s lifeless body before dumping it in a trash can on Daspit Street.(HPD)

“This is absolutely a death penalty case,” D.A. Joe Waitz said. “What happened to this little 2-year-old shocks the conscience.”

Waitz said his office will meet with the victim’s family before making a death penalty determination. He said the case should move to a grand jury for indictments in “relatively short order.”

Louisiana has carried out only one execution in the past 20 years.

Neighbors report ongoing abuse at Harry’s home, saying they heard screams and contacted authorities multiple times.

More: Neighbor says she reported abuse in home of murdered 2-year-old

Coleman said police had visited the home three times prior to Harry’s death. The Department of Child and Family Services said, if an investigation had been opened, they cannot comment pursuant to Louisiana state law.

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