Tragedy: Cuban father kills his two-year-old daughter in South Florida

A tragedy looms over a family in South Florida: a Cuban father was arrested after murdering his two-year-old daughter in a house in Pembroke Pines, in Broward County, this Tuesday.

Jerónimo Anthony Durán, 33, is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in the death of the young Melody A. R. D.

Pembroke Pines police reported that officers and firefighters responded to a residence located at 404 177th Avenue Southwest at 9:42 a.m. this Tuesday, alerted of a "domestic incident," and found the injured girl.

The paramedics and police officers entered the house, located the girl with a wound to her neck, and immediately began administering medical assistance. The child was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital, but unfortunately died despite all efforts to save her life," Captain Adam Feiner said.

At a press conference this Wednesday, Sergeant Jason Palant described the incident as "very tragic" and stated: "Our hearts go out to the victim's family, and at this time, we are solely focused on being able to provide justice for their family."

Palant explained that the girl had a laceration in her throat and the investigators found a knife that they believe was used in the crime. However, he added that the medical examiner will determine the official cause of her death.

The authorities reported that the father and mother of the girl shared custody of the child, and on Tuesday morning, he picked her up and took her to his house. Allegedly, Duran's grandmother arrived at the residence at the moment when the man was assaulting his daughter and called the police.

According to the information we have so far, she arrived at the residence and saw the suspect on top of the two-year-old girl, and noticed that the little girl seemed to not be breathing, at which point she called 911," Palant explained.

The suspect was arrested at home and taken to the main prison in Broward County, where he remains without bail.

Authorities said they have not yet identified a motive that led him to harm his daughter. "He was questioned by detectives and through his statement helped establish the probable cause of his arrest, however, we do not have a motive at this time," said Palant.

Judicial documents cited by NBC6 News state that Durán was in a custody battle with the mother of his daughter, during which he admitted to having mental health problems.

The response to a custody request filed by Duran in 2023 indicates that "the father suffers from a mental illness that includes paranoia and anger issues (punching the wall). He also suffers from anxiety."

The record adds that his behavior is "erratic, aggressive, violent, and dangerous for the mother and the child," and also states that the man had "suicidal thoughts" and had stopped taking his medication.