2-Year-Old’s Spine was Severed, Mother’s Ex Said It Was an Accident | Travis Thompson

On May 2, 2022 in Ocala, Florida, a mother left for work and left her two year old child, Jackyln Schwingel in the care of her recent ex boyfriend, 27 year old Travis Ray Thompson. Um, 25 minutes after she left she got a call from Travis. He said that at around 9:30 that morning he found Jackyln unresponsive. Jacqueline was rushed to Advent Health Waterman Hospital in Tavares, Florida in critical condition but was pronounced dead later that day.

Welcome to love and Heartbreak to Homicide. We are Ky’s AI co hosts, bringing you your Florida Man Friday case that Ky wrote. Take a break, take a seat and listen to this episode all the way to the end. If you like our uh, retelling, then go ahead and subscribe on whatever platform you’re listening on. You can also subscribe on the patreon for free. Patreon.com loveandmurder you do get some benefits for being a free subscriber, but if you want more bonus episodes, case extras, the new deadly duo segment, and being a voice of the victim right along with us and Kai, then sign up to one of our bonus tiers. Patreon.com loveandmurder before we begin, I want.

To give you a warning. Horrific child abuse case ahead. Listen at your own discretion. Even Ky had to take a break from writing this one with that warning. Let’s get back to your Florida Man Friday episode.

Hospital staff suspecting child abuse due to the nature of Jackyln’s injuries notified the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, um, and the Department of Children and Families. The MCSO Major Crimes Unit immediately launched an investigation. Police questioned Travis and he said that on that morning he’d taken his ex girlfriend’s oldest child to the school bus stop and then came back to his camper. Then Jacqueline’s mother went to work. After this, he took the baby to a nearby lake for about 15 minutes and then they went back to the camper so that he could use the bathroom. He said that he left Jackyln on a futon in the meantime. While he was in the bathroom, he heard a noise and then a loud thud. He went to where the baby was and found her unresponsive, lifeless, limp and gurgling with a shallow pulse and a distended abdomen but taking shallow breaths.

Does this sound researched and rehearsed to you? How does he know these phrases and exactly what to look for?

He told investigators that he didn’t know what had happened. He said he panicked and called the mother when she got home. They drove the baby to the hospital, and while in the car, they realized that she wasn’t breathing. They then called 911. EMS met them at a business along the way and rushed Jackyln to the hospital. The baby’s mother told investigators that when she got home just 15 minutes after Travis called her, she saw her daughter looking lifeless, but she had a shallow pulse. Also, her belly was protruding. So she panicked and had Travis rush them to the hospital. But when the baby stopped breathing in the car, she told him to call 911 and the ambulance met them on the way. Investigators realized the panic in the mother’s actions and let her go. Police took down Travis’ statement and let him go as well. Doctors informed investigators of significant internal bleeding and other trauma patterns that were inconsistent with Travis’s explanation of events. The baby’s body was then sent for autopsy. On September 1, 2022, the Medical Examiner’s Office completed their investigation. The cause of death was determined to be, quote, traumatic injuries to her torso, including a severing of her spine and internal bleeding in her abdomen. The medical examiner’s office concluded that whoever was with Jackyln had to apply, quote, significant gradual force to Jackyln’s upper and lower body, bending her backwards beyond her natural range of motion until her back broke.

I’m sorry. I refuse to believe what I heard. What did you just say?

I said that the ME Said that the person who did this to this two year old had to apply, quote, significant gradual force to Jackyln’s upper and lower body, bending her backwards beyond her natural range of motion until her back broke. This disarticulation of the lumbar spine was caused by, quote, significant gradual force being placed simultaneously on the front of the victim’s upper torso or head and lower body. Forensic pathologists noted that the vertebrae had completely separated with spinal tissues torn apart. The autopsy report also documented extensive internal bleeding throughout Jacqueline’s abdominal cavity. Her internal organs showed clear signs of trauma, which is why her abdomen was distended. With this report, investigators realized that this wasn’t a simple accidental fall off of a futon.

So what you’re saying is that someone bent this baby backwards until her spine snapped?

Yes.

And Travis Thompson was the only one with Jackyln when this happened. While waiting for the autopsy findings, police conducted an investigation. They found out that Travis and the baby’s mother had just broken up about one week before the incident. She had just moved out of the camper that they all shared. However, on the night before the incident, she had spent the night in the camper with her two children. This was at the request at Travis so, so that she could help him get his car fixed. Police also learned that on the day of the incident, instead of calling for help, Travis made eight phone calls, waited for Jackyln ‘s mother to arrive, and only after the baby’s mother told him to call 911, he called for help. They also found text messages on Travis’s phone which showed that he was angry about their breakup. This contradicted the calm demeanor he’d continuously shown officers with all of this information. Detectives revealed that there was a 37 minute gap between when Travis claimed to have found Jackyln unresponsive and um, the first 911 call. Travis was arrested and charged with first degree murder. He was held at the Marion County Jail without bond. And, um, this wasn’t the first time he’d been accused of hurting a child. Back in 2019, he was suspected of child abuse after a four year old suffered a broken arm. He said he accidentally sat on the child’s arm. No charges were filed then, but he was placed under a court ordered injunction to prevent child abuse. He violated that order by possessing firearms, which led to a misdemeanor. The case went to trial in June 2025. The prosecution, led by assistant state attorneys Amy Berndt and Sasha Kidney, leaned heavily on forensic evidence to prove that Jacqueline’s injuries were not accidental. They required a deliberate act. They also pointed to the delay in calling for help that might have cost Jacqueline her life. Prosecutors argued this wasn’t a tragic accident. This was murder. Travis, with his defence, stuck to his story. He said he didn’t know how Jackyln got hurt and claimed he was in another room when it happened. On June 4, the jury deliberated for just two hours before they reached their decision. They found Travis guilty of first degree murder. Right after the verdict, Judge Barbara Kistner sentenced him to life in prison with no parole. State attorney Bill Gladson made a statement after the sentencing.

This monster stole the life of an innocent child. And today the justice system made sure he will never walk free again. Life in prison is too good for this kind of evil.

Marion County Sheriff Billy woods echoed that sentiment and he praised his major crimes.

Team by saying, in Marion county, we protect our children and we hold those who harm them accountable.

This case is one of those that leaves you with a pit in your stomach. A mother leaves for work trusting someone she knows to watch her child. A breakup triggers rage in a man who already had a history of violence. And in the end, a two year old girl paid the price in such a horrible way. Jackyln Schwingel didn’t make headlines the way some cases do, but what happened to her was every bit as horrifying.

No child should ever suffer like that. And yet cases like this happen far too often. Thank you for listening, for caring and for remembering.

If you are suspicious of child abuse, call the Child Help National Child abuse hotline at 1-800-4A-CHILD or 1-800-442-24453 or go to childhelp.org all calls are, uh, toll free and confidential. The hotline is available 24. 7 in more than 170 languages. To help support our show, Love and Murder, in continuing to be a voice of the victims, then consider joining the LaM Patreon by signing up for one of our bonus tiers. Patreon.com loveandmurder thanks for listening and we’ll.

See you in the next episode.