JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The family of 22-month-old Zamora is speaking out after new charges were filed against the child’s mother and her boyfriend, alleging that neglect and abuse eventually lead to her death.
While grappling with the loss of the young child, Zamora’s grandmother, Patricia Foe, expressed her deep pain and frustration over the case.
Patricia Foe described the little girl as being deeply loved by her family. Zamora spent time with her grandmother when her mother, Zayla Goodwin, and her boyfriend, Nathaniel Davis, went to work. Foe said that at one point, Goodwin stopped bringing Zamora over, leaving the family in the dark about the child’s well-being.
“Then all of a sudden, she quit bringing her and can’t make excuses when we wasn’t allowed to see her,” Foe said.
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Little did Foe know, her granddaughter was enduring unimaginable abuse behind closed doors.
In September, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office found Zamora unresponsive, suffering from severe injuries. She had two broken legs, a broken arm, a brain bleed, and chemical burns on her lips. The toddler was rushed to Wolfson Children’s Hospital, but tragically, she did not survive. An autopsy revealed that the child died from blunt force trauma and had methamphetamine in her system.
Following the investigation, Zayla Goodwin, Zamora’s mother, was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child. Nathaniel Davis, Goodwin’s boyfriend, faces more severe charges, including first-degree murder, sexual battery, aggravated child abuse, and tampering with evidence.
Patricia Foe expressed her anger and disbelief, saying, “I want them to be punished. I want to know what this baby went through. They don’t seem to show any type of remorse.”
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Action News Jax spoke with Zamora’s father in September, shortly before she was taken off life support.
“She was my miracle,” Brandon Foe said.
At the time, he said they planned to donate her heart, pancreas, intestines, liver, and kidneys.
“I’m waiting for the letter saying you gave my daughter the life she wouldn’t have had,” said Foe.
Since then, the family tells us a 6-month-old girl received her heart, a 6-month-old boy got her liver, and another person received her kidneys.
This week, a grand jury indicted Nathaniel Davis on the charge of first-degree murder. Zayla Goodwin is scheduled to appear in court on April 8th to face the charges against her.
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