TAMPA, Fla. — A 33-year-old man wanted by Hillsborough County deputies is accused of first-degree murder for the 2019 death of a young child.
Investigators, according to Sheriff Chad Cronister, have been working for more than a year to figure out who might be at fault. A family member found the child, who was not named in a news release, unresponsive inside a home on Dec. 30, 2019, on Sunset Drive.
They later died at the hospital.
At first, there was no indication of foul play, the sheriff said in a statement. But investigators now believe Claude Brooks is responsible for the child's death following several interviews, collecting forensic evidence and reviewing autopsy results that showed the child was seriously injured.
"Detectives have been working this case for more than a year, determined to uncover the real reason why this innocent child died," Chronister said in the release. "At the time of the call, deputies did not find any indication of foul play, but after further investigation, detectives obtained enough evidence to charge Brooks with First Degree Murder While Engaged in Aggravated Child Abuse."
Anyone with information about Brooks' whereabouts is asked to call the sheriff's office at 813-247-8200.
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