CENTRAL FLORIDA – Authorities in Central Florida have charged a father with the violent death of his 4-month-old daughter. The arrest of Jacob Kubai, 22, who is accused of killing his daughter Willow Kubai, was announced by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in a press release on Wednesday.
Kubai is now facing several charges, including aggravated manslaughter of a child, two counts of knowingly abusing a child without bodily harm, and aggravated child abuse. At this time, he remains in police custody and it is not yet known if he has entered a plea.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd remarked on the severity of the case, stating that the baby’s severe injuries left no doubt about the cause of her death.
The incident became a subject of investigation when Kubai brought his unresponsive daughter to the Bartow Regional Medical Center on February 22. The baby was transferred to Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa after numerous injuries were detected, including a fractured skull, hemorrhaging in the brain, broken ribs, bruises, and scratches. Sadly, the child succumbed to her injuries two days later
An autopsy report later revealed additional injuries, including multiple wounds to her head as a result of blunt force trauma. She also suffered from a swollen and hemorrhaged spine, an acute skull fracture, and ten broken ribs.
Upon questioning, Kubai and his wife Rebekah were unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for Willow’s injuries. Reports indicate that Kubai’s account of the events leading up to the discovery of Willow’s condition appeared inconsistent with security footage collected from a local Walmart.
Sheriff Judd detailed further developments in a press conference where he shared Kubai seemed lucid during the initial investigation. However, upon confrontation about discrepancies in his account, Kubai began claiming, “My wife’s not real, my baby’s not real.”
Sheriff Judd described this as a manipulative tactic and expressed his disbelief regarding the tragic incident.