Father of Starved Florida Infant Arrested Across State Lines Nearly a Year After Baby's Death
Finn's Take· TL;DR- Father arrested in Virginia nearly a year after 3-month-old son died from starvation and dehydration in Florida home.
- Baby weighed 11 pounds at last checkup, dropped to 9 pounds before death; caregivers ignored warning signs and family alerts.
- Three others previously charged with manslaughter; investigation highlights parental responsibility even when absent from child's location.
A Fourth Arrest Closes In on All Who Failed Baby Robert
A fourth person has been arrested in connection with the death of a 3-month-old baby who died from severe dehydration and malnutrition. The case, which has haunted the Fort Pierce, Florida community since the summer of 2025, took a significant step forward on Tuesday, August 4, when federal agents tracked the child's own father to a home hundreds of miles away.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office announced that the child's biological father, 45-year-old Jason Gunter, was taken into custody by the United States Marshals Service at his home in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Gunter has been charged with felony child neglect resulting in great harm for his alleged role in the circumstances surrounding the child's death. He is currently awaiting extradition to St. Lucie County, where he will face the charge.
Warning Signs Ignored as an Infant Wasted Away
The investigation began on August 20, 2025, when Robert Maxwell and Koon brought the unresponsive boy to the hospital. Medical staff immediately observed signs that the infant had been dead for some time, including rigor mortis, fixed pupils, and skin discoloration. He was pronounced dead at 11:35 a.m. after resuscitation efforts failed.
At baby Robert's last doctor's appointment on July 24, 2025, he weighed more than 11 pounds. By the time of his death less than a month later, he weighed about 9 pounds, placing the infant in the first percentile of children his age. Koon told detectives that she would only feed the baby twice a day, often with "watered-down milk with baby cereal mixed in," which is far below what is recommended. She told detectives she noticed the child was becoming increasingly thin, pale, and lethargic, and also described frequent vomiting, excessive sleeping, and a decrease in wet diapers — yet despite those concerns, detectives say no one sought emergency medical treatment.
Text messages obtained during the investigation showed family members repeatedly warning both parents that something was wrong. Authorities say three people from Florida allowed the 3-month-old boy to wither away and die from dehydration and malnutrition in a cockroach-infested home. A St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office detective told a local NBC affiliate, "In my 20 years of law enforcement, this is one of the worst cases I've ever worked."
Three Already Charged, Father's Role Under Scrutiny
The arrest comes after three others were previously charged in the case: the child's mother, 27-year-old Nicole Maxwell; the child's grandfather, Robert Maxwell; and Robert Maxwell's girlfriend, 38-year-old Vikki Koon — all three charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse, with each held on a $1.5 million bond.
According to a 37-page arrest affidavit, the infant had been primarily living with Koon and Robert Maxwell after Gunter moved to Virginia. Investigators' attention eventually turned to Gunter, raising the question of what responsibility a parent bears when they leave a vulnerable newborn behind — even from a distance. Investigators say the baby died from dehydration and malnutrition in August 2025, and the medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide — a conclusion that required outside expertise and months of additional testing before authorities could move forward with charges.
A Case That Demands Accountability at Every Level
The arrest of Gunter marks the fourth made in the case, and the investigation remains active as it moves through the judicial process. The use of the U.S. Marshals Service to apprehend Gunter in Virginia underscores how seriously authorities are treating the case — and signals that geographic distance offers no shelter from prosecution when a child dies under these circumstances.
Baby Robert Gunter never had the chance to grow beyond three months old. As all four individuals now face the legal system, the case serves as a grim reminder of how catastrophically neglect can escalate when multiple adults in a child's life choose silence over action. With extradition proceedings underway and three co-defendants already facing serious charges, the full picture of what happened in that Fort Pierce mobile home will soon be laid out before a court.