Homestead, Florida -- A community is still grappling with the harrowing saga of Nathan Allen and Arnelle Floyd.
These two 24-year-olds stand accused of an unimaginable atrocity: the murder and severe abuse of their innocent 6-month-old daughter, Nalani Adalee Allen.
The grim details of this case paint a haunting picture of relentless abuse, heart-wrenching neglect, and the tragic demise of a defenseless child. Homestead police officers made a gruesome discovery last weekend when they were called to an emergency room—a dead six-month-old baby with fractured ribs and internal lacerations. Detectives quickly identified her parents, who have a history of domestic violence, as the murderers.
Around 1 p.m. Sunday, two Homestead officers rushed to the pediatric emergency room at Baptist Health Homestead Hospital after infant Nalani Adalee Allen was pronounced dead despite doctors’ best efforts, according to an arrest report. When her parents, Arnelle Floyd and Nathan Allen, brought her into the emergency room, she was suffering from cardiac arrest. An x-ray revealed the child had “several fractured ribs in different stages of healing and multiple bruises throughout the victim’s torso, consistent with child neglect and/or child abuse.”
A later autopsy would confirm the blunt force injuries as well as “numerous fresh contusions, internal bleeding and large lacerations to internal organs....”
Tragically, Nalani was pronounced dead within an hour of her arrival at the hospital. Those who were meant to protect her had instead ended her brief, fragile life.
Floyd and Allen were arrested and charged with first-degree murder while committing aggravated child abuse on Wednesday. Days earlier, the couple voluntarily went to the Miami-Dade Police Department to answer questions. During the investigation, both parents contended Nalani never suffered any injuries from a fall or otherwise and did not know the cause of her death.
The morning of her death, Floyd told detectives she left Nalani sleeping in bed with Allen to go to a beauty appointment. A few hours later, Allen called and texted her that Nalani was not okay, the report read. Allen said he woke up, fed Nalani milk, and left her in bed. When he returned an hour later, he thought Nalani seemed “lethargic.” He called Floyd and then went to the hospital.
Officers executed a search warrant on their home and found fist-sized holes in the walls as well as in the refrigerator door. In the arrest report, police said the house was in disarray. The investigation also revealed there were numerous reports of domestic violence. Neighbors described the disputes to police as “violent,” with items and people being thrown into walls inside the home, the report read.
Nalani’s pediatrician told detectives that her last visit was on May 10 and she “did not show any signs of bruising or broken bones despite being underweight.”
The people of Homestead are left in shock and sorrow, struggling to comprehend the darkness that befell such an innocent soul.
This story is still developing, stay tuned to Trash Media Group's coverage for more.
