MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A Marion County man now charged with murder for the February death of 3-year-old Paisley Brown hit her because he wanted her to stop making noise, another child inside the home told investigators in the hours after Paisley’s death.
Jeroen Coombs’ new booking sheet released after prosecutors upgraded his charge from Aggravated Child Abuse included other details about the death and the ongoing abuse of all the children residing in the home.
Coombs handcuffed some of the older children daily inside their room, which was really the closet connected to the adults’ bedroom, the child claimed in their interview.
One child said he heard Coombs telling the girl to shut up as he hit her, and knew what the sound of punches sounded like because it was a regular occurrence.
He also said Coombs left Paisley face up under a running bathtub faucet, which Coombs said was an attempt to revive her.
Investigators said the girl was dead by the time Coombs FaceTimed the girl’s mother, a half hour after the mother said she heard her daughter’s voice over the phone.
Neither Coombs nor the mother, who remains under investigation, could explain why neither of them called 911 for 40 minutes after that FaceTime call.
Investigators said the two, who started dating in October, moved in together in January.
Coombs is charged with second-degree murder. Prosecutors indicate they’ll ask a grand jury to upgrade the charge to first degree, which opens the possibility of them trying for the death penalty.
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