LAND O’ LAKES — A 911 call reporting the death of a boy led to his mother – a public school teacher – being accused of homicide, according to investigators in Florida.
It happened Sunday, October 19, in the Drexel Road area near Land O’ Lakes, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
“The suspect, an adult woman and mother of the juvenile, reported the incident to dispatch around 9:50 a.m.,” the sheriff’s office said. “The manner of death is part of the ongoing investigation.”
Justine Mroz, 40, was arrested and charged with second-degree homicide, the sheriff’s office said.
An affidavit reports her 6-year-old son was autistic and was banging his head against the floor when Mroz tried to restrain him, WFLA reports.
A struggle erupted and Mroz said she “snapped” and strangled the boy with both hands, the station said.
A second-degree homicide charge indicates the death was not premeditated, experts say.
Pasco County Schools lists Mroz as a teacher at West Pasco Education Academy’s Harry Schwettman Campus in Hudson, which hosts grades 6 through 12.
“Pasco County Schools can confirm that Justine Mroz is employed by Pasco County Schools. She has been arrested by Pasco Sheriff’s Office and will not be on any school campus,” the district wrote in a statement
“On behalf of the entire Pasco County Schools family, we extend our deepest condolences to all who are grieving. We are deploying crisis teams to provide care and support to those affected by this heartbreaking event.”
Land O’ Lakes is about a 20-mile drive north from Tampa.
By MARK PRICE/Charlotte Observer
Mark Price is a National Reporter for McClatchy News. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology.