On December 11, 2025, Buffalo police, fire, and AMR responded to a 911 call at a home on Parkdale Avenue in Buffalo, NY, where they found a 7-year-old boy unresponsive. He was rushed to Golisano Children’s Hospital with hypothermia and other injuries from alleged abuse by 26-year-old Jacklyn J. Balabis and 24-year-old Parris D. Woods, the couple caring for him.
Charges and Allegations
- Primary Defendants (Balabis and Woods): Charged with 2 counts of first-degree assault, 6 counts of first-degree attempted assault, and 6 counts of reckless endangerment. Accused of acting together to force the boy into a cold bath, hold him underwater repeatedly as punishment, and cause serious injury using water as a “dangerous instrument.”
- Prior Incidents: On October 16 and December 11, 2025, they allegedly punished him with physical abuse, food deprivation, forced exercise, and cold showers—conduct showing “depraved indifference to human life.”
- Third Defendant: 20-year-old Cassandra Baughman, indicted earlier for first-degree assault and reckless endangerment related to the December 11 events.
Erie County DA Mike Keane called it “disturbing” abuse involving cruelty and deprivation of basic needs, vowing full prosecution.
Legal Status and Next Steps
Both main defendants are held without bond in Erie County Jail, with an order of protection for the boy. Pretrial conference set for March 5, 2026. Conviction on first-degree assault carries 25 years to life.
The child has made a “remarkable recovery,” per DA Keane.
This case highlights New York Penal Law definitions: first-degree assault (…