Nevada Father Searched CPR Instructions Before Child Found Dead in Dumpster, Records Reveal

According to records, prosecutors believe a father of a child discovered dead in a dumpster looked up how to give CPR in the hours before a police officer made the tragic find.

As previously reported by 8 News Now, Diaja Smith, 23, regained custody of 2-year-old Jacoby Robinson Jr. and his two younger siblings just weeks before the boy’s murder on June 6.

According to records, police believe Jacoby died earlier that day before Smith reportedly disposed of his body in a dumpster near Lewis Avenue and 14th Street. According to investigators, she then contacted 911 and reported Jacoby missing.

The following day, police arrested Smith on charges of open murder. Jacoby’s father, Jacoby Robinson Sr., 24, has also been arrested by police. A Clark County grand jury indicted the parents for murder and child abuse last week.

Smith and Robinson have five children together, including Jacoby and two younger siblings, according to records. The Clark County Department of Family Services documented three previous contacts with the family.

Documents previously indicated Jacoby had a twin, but court records revealed that this was wrong and the youngster is actually a year younger. According to family members, the parents no longer have custody of their two elder children.

Less than five hours after Smith called 911 to report that someone had taken him from a park, police found Jacoby’s body inside the garbage. Police stated the boy’s body revealed “significant signs of physical injury to [his] head, torso, and buttocks,” according to records. Prosecutors believe Jacoby died earlier that day and was transferred to the dumpster in a stroller with his brothers. Prosecutors say she went to a business to contact 911.

Prosecutors believe Smith disposed of Jacoby’s body shortly after 8 p.m., according to records. Around 12:44 p.m., someone used the elder Robinson’s phone to look up how to conduct CPR, according to records. A person then searched for bus tickets from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and called with the device.

Police discovered pieces of a charging wire in Smith’s residence, which they believe she used to whip the children, according to records. Smith told police she hadn’t seen Robinson Sr. in a while, but he was actually in and out of the flat, according to records.

According to the records, police suspect Smith of beating the boys with a belt and electrical wires. Smith denied hurting the children and said Jacoby had a seizure the day before his death, according to records. She also claimed Jacoby died while in the stroller under camera observation.

Prosecutors also claimed that Robinson was with the boy after the beating, saw him throw up, and assisted Jacoby in getting the vomit out of his mouth and nose before going back to sleep.

“Initially Jacoby, when we told him that Jacoby, Jr. was deceased and that we had located his body, he said that he didn’t believe that he was deceased but ultimately he said he had woken that morning to hear her beating Jacoby and Jacoby was crying,” a Metro police detective told the grand jury about his interview with the father. “He initially said he saw [Smith] whooping him with a belt, later changed that it was a charging cord and that at some point she did call him in to perform CPR.”

“I feel so bad because I feel like I wasn’t doing the same for you, I was just on autopilot trying not to crash,” a detective read from the letter to the grand jury, according to transcripts. “[Expletive], why didn’t I listen when I said no more whoopings when you told me to stop whooping the kids. I really hope you can forgive me. Love deep down I really do. I cherished every moment with you. I wish I cooked us one last meal. I’m sorry I wasn’t thinking right.”

As of Wednesday report by 8NewsNow, both parents remained in jail without bond, with a court hearing scheduled for August.