Child dies after choking on toy at Jacksonville daycare center

A 1-year-old boy died Friday after he was rushed from a Jacksonville daycare facility the day before after choking on a toy, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families.

Officers responded to Wolfson Children's Hospital on Thursday about 3:30 p.m. in reference to a child-abuse call, according to a Sheriff's Office incident report. The boy's parents were not at the hospital, but a doctor told police he was in critical condition and suffering from major brain damage.

Nurses performed CPR six times and the doctor was unsure if the child would survive, according to the report.

A representative from the Department of Children and Families and a homicide detective responded to the hospital after learning about the incident, the report said.

John Harrell, a spokesman for Children and Families, confirmed the incident happened at the Tip Top 24 Hour Learning Center, 2038 Blanding Blvd., but could not go into more detail about the situation.

"We do want to find out what happened at the time of the incident and who was supervising at the time of the incident," Harrell said.

He said the child care regulation team and the child protective investigation team would both be looking into the incident.

Any charges would be determined by law enforcement agencies, and Harrell said the agency will be sharing information with the Sheriff's Office to assist with the investigation.

Multiple news outlets have identified the boy as Malik Baker.

Joe Daraskevich: (904) 359-4308