In one of the weirdest true crime stories we’ve seen in a hot minute, Florida woman Tara Alexis Sykes is under arrest, with cops saying the 36-year-old used Roblox to manipulate a 10-year-old into committing a homicidal crime spree.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is holding Sykes on a charge of attempted murder and aggravated child abuse relating to a bizarre and disturbing series of incidents reported by Pensacola’s Gulf Coast Kids’ House, which investigates child abuse and supports its victims.
Cops allege that Sykes contacted the unnamed 10-year-old through the popular online building game Roblox and sent him direct messages relating to a 2-month-old baby. At various times, she allegedly ordered the child to drown the infant, burn the infant with water, or drop the infant on the floor.
Further messages saw Sykes instructing the 10-year-old to slit the throats of the adults caring for the baby, then cover the house in flammable aerosol spray and set the bodies on fire.
Horrifyingly, it seems at least one of these orders was carried out, as the 10-year-old went on to allegedly drop the infant on the kitchen floor, resulting in serious injuries. The child then doused the bedsheets with aerosol but was unable to set them on fire.
“There is something really wrong with her.”
Sheriff Chip W. Simmons released a statement:
“I have been in Law Enforcement for over 40 years and have never seen anything quite like this. I am truly disturbed by the circumstances and the thought that anyone could think like this, let alone instruct these acts to be carried out. … There is something really wrong with her.”
But, in a strange twist, Roblox says the cops’ story is full of holes. Working in partnership with the cops, they retrieved the logs of communication. These confirmed that though Sykes and the child had been in contact with each other, there was no evidence that Sykes ever instructed the child to commit any violent acts.
There’s clearly more to this story than meets the eye, but for the full picture, it looks as if we’re going to have to wait for the trial. However, in a depressing twist, the sheriff also hinted that the 10-year-old involved in the case may face charges.
Under Florida law, children as young as 7 can be held criminally responsible for offenses if they can distinguish right from wrong. Thankfully, they can’t be tried as an adult and would face charges in juvenile court only. But, once again, to know for certain, we’re just going to have to wait for the truth about his peculiar and disturbing case to emerge.
