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Nurse said 'I think I killed our son' after she punched 3-month-old in the head while wearing diamond ring, police say

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Cite

Anderson, N. (2026, September 15). Nurse said 'I think I killed our son' after she punched 3-month-old in the head while wearing diamond ring, police say. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16129879/jessica-vlasac-florida-baby-death.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-09-15 · by Natasha Anderson

Quick Summary

Jessica Vlasac, a 42-year-old nurse from Lakeland, Florida, was arrested last Thursday on charges of felony aggravated child abuse after her three-month-old son August Lionel died. Police claim Vlasac told them she accidentally crushed the infant’s skull with her diamond ring during an alleged violent episode while drinking alcohol earlier that day. An autopsy revealed subdural hemorrhaging and multiple head injuries consistent with blunt force trauma, inconsistent with a fall or co-sleeping accident as initially claimed by Vlasac.
Written by AI on 2026-09-15, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Jessica Vlasac, a 42-year-old nurse from Lakeland, Florida, called 911 just before midnight on September 6 after she said her three-month-old son August Lionel had stopped breathing. Paramedics took the infant to Orlando Health Medical Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Investigators discovered that August had a skull fracture and bruising consistent with blunt force trauma, suggesting abuse rather than an accident.

Vlasac's boyfriend, Quinton Rosario, told police Vlasac "becomes violent" when she drinks and admitted to purchasing alcohol before the incident. He also showed investigators texts from Vlasac saying she had killed her son. According to a probable cause affidavit, Vlasac has a history of violence, including an arrest just last month for fighting with Rosario.

Vlasac was arrested on charges of felony aggravated child abuse resulting in death and is due in court for a pre-trial detention hearing. Her case highlights the dangers posed by alcohol-fueled violence towards children and raises concerns about previous unaddressed incidents involving the same perpetrator.

Written for “Nurse Punches Baby With Ring” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Nurse Punches Baby With Ring
Health · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 29% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
24
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
29%
7 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Health
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-15 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 8535 article(s) · 20 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 20 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Natasha Anderson
38 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
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🔮 Alan and Case, pictured with their surviving brother, also died in the plane crash She shared a heartbreaking statement from Mark's wife, Jenni, who said: 'I never thought I would have to write these words.
🔮 Unfortunately, per the advice of medical professionals, Mary's upcoming events in Fairbanks and Bethel will be rescheduled for later in the week as she takes time to recover.
🔮 Dolly Parton's sister Stella claims a Tennessee voting machine repeatedly switched her ballot to a Republican candidate who she would never want to vote for.
🔮 If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return,' the official added.
🔮 I sincerely apologize to those I have hurt or disappointed, and I will use this experience as an opportunity to grow and do better moving forward,' the statement concluded.
🔮 The university also pledged to address the incident 'in accordance with the student code of conduct' and said it 'will continue providing support and working to build a university community that respects the dignity of each person.' But while the aspiring nurse was attacked online, Torstenson left the encounter rather unscathed.
🔮 'Cole was an incredible kid and could put a smile on anyone's face,' Chris Adrian told The New York Times.
Also by Natasha Anderson
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 38 articles by Natasha Anderson →

Topics

911 Daily Mail Florida Lakeland the Polk County Sheriff's Office

Subjects

Vlasac PERSON · 12× August Lionel PERSON · 2× Jessica Vlasac PERSON · 2× the Polk County Sheriff's Office ORG · 2× Daily Mail ORG · 1× Florida GPE · 1× Lakeland GPE · 1× Lionel PERSON · 1× Orlando Health Medical ORG · 1× The Daily Mail ORG · 1×

Narrative

Vlasac is due in court on Thursday for a pre-trial detention hearing The infant's father told detectives that Vlasac 'becomes violent' when she drinks and alleged that she admitted to buying alcohol earlier that day, police said They were unaware of anything suspicious until they heard her screaming, police said.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-15

Claims (24 extracted, 7 hedged)

- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source A Florida nurse told police 'I think I killed our son' after she allegedly punched the three-month-old so hard that she crushed his skull with her diamond ring. Jessica Vlasac, 42, called 911 just before midnight on September 6 to report that her infant son August Lionel was unresponsive at her Lakeland home, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. uncertain
son → see → Office
Paramedics rushed the baby to nearby Orlando Health Medical hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. asserted
he → rush → hospital
Vlasac told deputies that she had accidentally fallen asleep with the baby in her bed and that when she woke up he was face down, 'not moving and cold to the touch,' police said. asserted
police → tell → touch
But investigators claim August Lionel had an abrasion and bruising on his head. uncertain
Lionel → claim → head
The infant's father told detectives that Vlasac 'becomes violent' when she drinks and alleged that she admitted to buying alcohol earlier that day, police said. asserted
police → tell → alcohol
He showed investigators messages that Vlasac allegedly sent that night, 'stating that she had killed the infant and that he was dead,' according to officers. uncertain
he → show → officers
Vlasac was arrested last Thursday and charged with felony aggravated child abuse resulting in the death of the three-month-old infant. asserted
Vlasac → arrest → infant
She has not yet entered a plea. asserted
She → enter → plea
Jessica Vlasac, 42, was arrested last Thursday and charged with felony aggravated child abuse resulting in the death of her three-month-old son. asserted
Vlasac → arrest → son
She has not yet entered a plea An autopsy report showed that baby August Lionel suffered subdural hemorrhaging around his skull An autopsy report showed that the baby suffered subdural hemorrhaging around his skull, according to police. uncertain
baby → enter → police
He also had three separate injuries on his head, including one that appeared to be caused by a small, square-like object, the coroner reported. asserted
coroner → have → object
The autopsy also stated there was no evidence that co-sleeping caused his death. asserted
sleeping → state → death
As detectives interviewed Vlasac, they noticed a large, diamond-like stone on her ring finger that was reportedly 'consistent' with the injury described in the autopsy. uncertain
that → interview → autopsy
Investigators executed a search warrant and confiscated her ring and electronic devices. asserted
Investigators → execute → ring
While deputies were carrying out the search, she asked if the ring was what killed her son, police said. asserted
police → carry → son
Officers also determined that Vlasac had 'deleted some messages' from her phone and urged her son's father 'not to show detectives their messages.' asserted
Vlasac → determine → messages
Investigators interviewed people who were in the home at the time of the boy's death and they reported that Vlasac had been caring for him alone in her room. asserted
Vlasac → interview → room
Vlasac, wearing what appears to be bright purple scrubs, was taken into custody on Thursday and booked into the Polk County Jail According to jail records, she is not yet eligible for bond. uncertain
she → wear → bond
Vlasac is due in court on Thursday for a pre-trial detention hearing The infant's father told detectives that Vlasac 'becomes violent' when she drinks and alleged that she admitted to buying alcohol earlier that day, police said They were unaware of anything suspicious until they heard her screaming, police said. asserted
police → tell → anything
Vlasac, wearing what appears to be bright purple scrubs, was taken into custody on Thursday and booked into the Polk County Jail. asserted
what → wear → Jail
According to jail records, she is not yet eligible for bond. uncertain
she → accord → bond
Her arraignment is scheduled for October 13. asserted
arraignment → schedule → October
The Polk County Sheriff's Office says their investigation remains ongoing. asserted
investigation → say → ?
The Daily Mail has approached her lawyer for comment. asserted
Mail → approach → comment
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