Florida infant drowns in bathtub while dad was busy playing video games, officials say | FOX 35 Orlando
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Florida infant drowns in bathtub while dad was busy playing video games, officials say

By
Updated  February 12, 2025 6:23pm EST
Osceola County
FOX 35 Orlando

The Brief

    • A Florida man is accused of leaving his infant daughter in a bathtub, where she ultimately drowned – to play video games, according to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.
    • Joshua Ruiz-Martinez, 32, was arrested and booked into jail on a charge of aggravated manslaughter of a child.
    • The alleged incident happened in April 2024, but the arrest warrant wasn't issued until February 2025.
    • Records show that the dad drew a bath because his daughter was fussy and thought it might help her. He then left to play a video game for several minutes. He then checked on his daughter and found her face down in the water, records show. She later died at the hospital.

ST. CLOUD, Fla. - A Florida infant drowned in a bathtub in Osceola County because the girl's father was distracted by a video game, according to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.

That father, Joshua Ruiz-Martinez, 32, is now facing charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child in connection to his daughter's death, according to court records. 

What happened?

The backstory:

The incident happened on April 21, 2024, at a home in St. Cloud, Florida. The arrest warrant for Joshua Ruiz-Martinez was issued on Feb. 10, 2025.

Deputies responded to the home in April 2024 after receiving a 911 call about an infant drowning, OCSO said in the arrest report.

According to the arrest warrant, Ruiz-Martinez said he decided to give his daughter a bath because she was being "fussy" and thought it would help. He initially said he filled the bathtub with water up to her stomach and then left for about three minutes to get her a bottle. When he came back, he found the baby submerged beneath the water.

Records show Joshua Ruiz-Martinez, 32, is facing aggravated manslaughter charges. (Credit: Osceola County Sheriff's Office)

First responders attempted life-saving measures, but the little girl was declared dead at the hospital, the report said.

Detectives checked Ruiz-Martinez's computer and cell phone, which apparently showed that he was playing video games throughout the day, including during the times that he said he had drawn a bath, put the baby in the bath, and was supposedly watching her.

According to the warrant, the logs show that the father was actively playing a computer game up until moments before discovering that his daughter was unresponsive in the bathtub.

"I killed my daughter for a game?"

Detectives showed Ruiz-Martinez the game logs on his computer and his cell phone and, according to the warrant, pointed out some of the discrepancies in his initial statements and what the logs showed.

Authorities also found Discord messages from the dad, which claimed he told people that his daughter drowned in a pool, which was not true, authorities said. He later sent a message claiming "never leave your kid with no one."

Detectives said the dad then cried during the interview and said, "I killed my daughter for a game? Please tell me I did not kill my daughter for a game."

He was arrested and booked into jail under suspicion of aggravated manslaughter of a child. He is being held on no bond, online court records show.

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office and the St. Cloud Fire Rescue.

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