Homeless woman charged with child abuse after allegedly holding a pillow over baby’s face

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Tarkesha Aisha Taylor, 27, was arrested last night and charged with child abuse after allegedly holding a pillow over her baby’s face while staying at St. Francis House.

Another resident of St. Francis House told a Gainesville Police Department officer that she had felt bad for Taylor and her baby because they were sleeping in the lobby, so she let them stay in her room. She said the baby, who is almost two years old, cried uncontrollably for hours, and Taylor started shaking the baby; she said Taylor started yelling at the baby to “Shut up” and then took a pillow from the bed and pressed it over the baby’s nose and mouth. The witness said she stopped Taylor from smothering the baby and took the baby from her.

The witness said that when she woke up the next morning, Taylor was gone, but the baby was alone and crying in the bed, and the baby and bed were saturated with urine.

Two other witnesses reportedly told the officer that Taylor goes to an area on SW 4th Place that is known for narcotics activity to “smoke molly” with the baby in a stroller; they said the baby is always crying and that Taylor neglects the baby.

Taylor was reportedly asked to leave St. Francis House because she violated the 9 p.m. curfew multiple times.

The officer reported previously seeing Taylor in the 400 block of S. Main Street, talking with known drug dealers while pushing the baby in a stroller.

A sworn complaint was filed against Taylor in September 2023 for child neglect. In 2022, she was reportedly investigated for abusing “molly” in front of her other child.

Post Miranda, Taylor reportedly admitted smoking “mop or molly” on SW 4th Place and that the baby had been with her because she didn’t have anyone to watch the baby. When she was asked whether she had tried to smother the baby, she initially said she had put a pillow over the baby’s face in the St. Francis lobby during the daytime while “playing”; she later reportedly admitted she had put a pillow over the baby’s face at night, but she said she would never hurt the baby.

Taylor’s only other criminal history in Alachua County is a sworn complaint for domestic battery from 2020; the charges were later dropped.

Taylor has been charged with child neglect without great bodily harm and child abuse without great bodily harm; Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $80,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

    • People gonna realize very soon with out God in there life it want be easy. Dealing with mental health is real, and need attending to.

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  • WTF we thought SFH was better than the OTHER places. It’s sad when mothers can’t “take a village” appropriately. The child should be separated and given to a decent kin, or put in foster care until adopted.
    Please stop deluding the poor in college towns. Stop using them to “justify” commie biases in local policies and funding of campaign donor NGOs, too. Instruct the poor to leave for non-college towns if they want a better life.

  • She should stay in jail long enough to detox. Then be locked down in a rehab for a while. That poor child doesn’t deserve to be in that position. She probably had the kids so she can get money for nothing and her food for free. She probably trades her food card for drug money and seems she probably doesn’t feed her kid with it.

    • I just want my God Daughter and her mom need to go get some help cause it’s just ridiculous.

  • The baby in this situation is my God daughter and I have been literally looking for her and her mom for a while now so that my baby girl can be better taken care of until mom gets better but I just couldn’t find her so please help me figure out where she is now.

    • If the child is really your God daughter, you knew what was going on. YOU should have reported her to DCF and LEO. This child deserves a chance in life. As far as the mother she will just continue with this lifestyle and have other children. She will show remorse only to be free to continue her drug abuse her choices. Oh yeah does she even know who the father is of the child. Why is it that animals take better care of their young? Willing to die to protect them.
      And many breed for life, unlike so called humans.

      • Did you read the article? She already has an open case from 2023 for child neglect, so blame the system for not acting fast enough. I know her and DCF has been involved multiple times (at least 4 times) saying that they can’t do anything unless the children are dead or seriously injured. DCF knows about what’s been going on, it has been reported numerous times. Not to excuse her actions because she was definitely wrong, but this is on DCF and the system. Luckily she only had one child in her custody, but the amount of times and the seriousness of the calls made to DCF, the child should have been removed from her a long time ago.

  • Take this baby seat from her before she hurts it. She obviously is unfit and the baby needs better care in a loving home.

  • She’ll be pregnant again within a few months after she gets out- watch!
    As her habit gets worse, how else is she coming up with the money to support it after her money (compliments of tax payers) runs out?

  • Do not let her have this baby back!!! And where is the “other” child? The children are more important than her. If she gets this baby back it will not end well.

  • Which holiday is the most complicated holiday in the ghetto?
    It’s Father’s Day.

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