A grim afternoon in Gainesville turned tragic on January 14, 2026, when 23-year-old Tierra Scott-Franklin called 911 just after midday and told dispatchers she had drowned her 7-month-old daughter in the bathtub of their Sweetwater Square Apartments home. Emergency crews raced to the scene on Northeast 15th Street and found the baby unresponsive in the tub. Life-saving efforts began immediately, but the infant later died after being rushed to UF Health Shands Pediatrics.
When officers arrived, Scott-Franklin was taken into custody at the apartment complex without resistance. Police charged her with first-degree premeditated murder, one of the most serious homicide charges in Florida, and she was booked into the Alachua County Jail. Authorities have not set bond, and she remains under constant medical supervision in the jail infirmary with no unsupervised contact with minors.
According to the police report, Scott-Franklin admitted she placed her daughter in a bathtub half-filled with water. She told officers the baby’s face was submerged, and she left the bathroom, closing the door behind her. When she returned about five minutes later, the child was unresponsive. Scott-Franklin said she tried chest compressions but stopped when she saw fluid coming from the baby’s mouth and nose.
In her 911 call, she expressed fear about losing custody of her child, reportedly saying something akin to “if I can’t have my baby, no one can.” She told investigators she had been diagnosed with several mental health conditions, hears voices, and had even researched “suffocation” online two weeks before the drowning.
Neighbors were shocked by the violence in their community. One resident said she heard cries and yelling, with people shouting that a child was in danger. The event left local parents rattled and stirred conversations about support for families facing struggles.
City officials and community advocates spoke out after Scott-Franklin’s court appearance on January 15. Some stressed the role of mental health and the need for accessible services, arguing that this tragedy underscores broader gaps in support systems. In court, activists called for compassion and treatment for Scott-Franklin alongside justice for the lost child.
Records show Scott-Franklin had been arrested in August 2025 on charges including battery of a person 65 or older and violation of probation. Those prior legal troubles and a custody dispute were noted in the arrest report in connection with her state of mind.
