A West Melbourne man who lied to investigators that a toddler in his care drowned, will spend the next 60 years in a Florida prison, after admitting to a pattern of violent abuse that stole the young boys life.
Joshua Manns, 30, entered a plea of no contest last week to second-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and child neglect in the death of Jameson Nance, the young son of his girlfriend Erica Dotson.
The sentence handed down on June 22, 2026, closes one chapter of a chilling case that authorities say involved weeks of torment for the child.
The investigation began on June 11, 2021, when Jameson was found unresponsive at a home in West Melbourne. At the time, Manns who was his carer, was nowhere to be found.
But he had left a note for Dotson explaining that her child suffered a seizure while he gave him a bath, and he later awoke to find him lifeless in the water.
However, an autopsy showed the child did not drown, and his lungs contained no water, as per Fox35Orlando
Medical examiners concluded that Jameson died from severe, ongoing physical abuse rather than any kind of accident.
Prosecutors later argued that the toddler “suffered through and experienced significant pain and abuse over a three-week span,” and State Attorney Phil Archer described the death as especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel.
Long before the fatal injuries, warning signs had been documented. In 2019, Jameson broke his leg and when Dotson was questioned, she said he fell while running.
Then in March of 2021, another broken leg was reported but this time, the family told police the boy had stepped off a curb. Daycare workers had also raised concerns in a report to the Florida Department of Children and Families.
While detectives built their case, Manns fled the state but he was eventually taken into custody later that month in Tifton, Georgia, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Tift County Sheriff’s Office.
He was initially arrested on a warrant for child neglect with great bodily harm and was later charged with first-degree murder.
A grand jury indicted both Manns and Dotson on July 28, 2021, on charges of first-degree felony murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child, and child abuse.
Dotson, who was 27 at the time of her arrest in July 2021, has long been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in her son’s death.
Investigators have said evidence indicates she was aware of the injuries her child was suffering, and they noted that she and Manns gave inconsistent stories when asked how and when the harm occurred.
West Melbourne Police Sgt. Graig Erenstoft said during a news conference that “nothing appeared to line up or be consistent” during their separate interviews.
Her case moved toward trial once before, but a judge declared a mistrial last year. Now, with Manns sentenced, attention turns back to Dotson as a new trial is scheduled to begin on July 20, as per Fox35Orlando.
Prosecutors have previously stated they intend to seek the death penalty against her, and both defendants have remained in custody without bond since their arrests.
Manns’s no-contest plea and 60-year sentence mean he accepted responsibility for the killing without a full trial, sparing the family a lengthy proceeding while still closing out the state’s case against him.
The upcoming trial for Jameson’s mother will be the next step in a case that exposed years of hidden abuse behind the closed doors of a West Melbourne household.
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