Ohio boy, 12, dies after man forces him to undergo back-to-back ice baths and strenuous exercises as part of corporal punishment: complaint

A 12-year-old Ohio boy died Saturday after a man taking care of him allegedly forced the child into back-to-back ice baths and strenuous exercises as part of a twisted form of “corporal punishment,” according to authorities.Preteen victim Jadako Taylor was also allegedly ordered by Anthony McCants, 23, to do pushups and other exercises in between the “cold plunges” before he went into cardiac arrest and later died, according to a criminal complaint obtained by local news outlets.McCants, who knows Taylor’s family, was watching the boy around 5 a.m.when he made him take two “ice baths” that lasted 45 minutes with short bouts of physical activity in between, the complaint alleges, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.He then required the child to do another 30-minute “ice bath” and more exercises, the complaint said.But Taylor started to “vomit and seize” before medics were called to his home and attempted to save his life around 2:30 p.m.

He was pronounced dead at Akron Children’s Hospital nearly 90 minutes later.His core body temperature was only 74 degrees, Cleveland.com reported – more than 20 degrees lower than the average body temp for a child.The cruel treatment was used “as corporal punishment” by McCants, the complaint alleged.McCants, who also lives in Akron, was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child Monday and detained on $500,000 bail, according to court records.It was not clear what McCants’ relationship to Taylor was, but a caller who dialed police when the child started having the medical emergency claimed it was his little brother, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. ...