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Mother Arrested After Boyfriend’s 12-Year-Old Son Is Found Beaten To Death In Florida Home
Authorities say Jason Godleski fled the state with his girlfriend only to return days later, then reported his son Noah's death.
The girlfriend of a Florida man accused of killing his son last month has been arrested on a manslaughter charge, police announced this week.
Authorities found Noah Godleski, 12, dead in the laundry room of his Palm Bay, Florida home on Oct. 22, according to News 6. His father, Jason Godleski, 33, had notified authorities about the death, though police said they believe that the boy had been dead for some time at that point. According to News 3, Godleski made the call from the lobby of the police station.
“At 11:37 a.m., just five minutes later, we arrived at the location,” said Palm Bay Chief Nelson Moya at a press conference. “What we discovered was horrifying. We found a body of a 12-year-old boy.”
Moya added that there was “evidence of trauma” on Noah's body.
Godleski’s girlfriend, Samarial Dubose, 30, was arrested in Connecticut on Friday — the same day Noah would have turned 13.
Police say Godleski drove his girlfriend and their three children out of state on Oct. 20, leaving the boy for dead, before returning and reporting that his son “died in his sleep,” according to the sheriff. Moya claimed that an intercepted phone call was factored into Dubose’s arrest.
“We hit him too hard in the face and the back of the head,” one of the suspects had stated on the call, police said.
“Upon speaking to the female, we also began to discover inconsistencies and irregularities with her statement,” Moya said. “Our detectives, who were now sent to Connecticut, embarked on a series of interviews, not only with her but with the children as well. We made some disturbing findings that we’re trying to confirm.”
Dubose faces charges of manslaughter and failure to report a death.
Police say Dubose told them that Noah was misbehaving on Oct. 17 and forced into the laundry room, according to News 6. She said that Godleski entered the room where his son had been placed; she heard the beatings take place, she allegedly told police.
Moya said there might have been a history of child abuse, citing a March 2020 allegation brought forth by a teacher that Noah was a victim of child abuse at the hands of both his. father and Dubose. He said police were never notified about the allegation and that the case was determined to be “unfounded.”
Noah’s biological mother, Melina Powell, said she allowed Godleski to have custody of her firstborn child in 2013, adding that she felt it was a better option than foster care after bruises had been found on Noah’s body. According to WFTV, the Connecticut mother said she was pushed out of her son’s life, as Godleski and Dubose moved from state to state.
“I’m furious that the system failed him in multiple states,” Powell said. “I don’t know why nobody thought that they should report that again. The system failed him in every single situation when he was crying for help.”
Godleski was arrested on charges of manslaughter and failing to report a death shortly after reporting to police that he'd died, according to News 3. When the dispatcher asked the suspect why he didn’t report the boy's death sooner, he changed the subject.
“No, no,” Godleski replied. “I know you guys are gonna come down here and take me away, but can I just smoke a cigarette real quick?”
Godleski remains in custody while Dubose awaits extradition back to Florida. The three children they have together are now in the care of relatives.
