TAMPA, Fla. — A man wanted in a Tampa murder that happened in 2019 was arrested in the inner banks of North Carolina years after a warrant was issued for his arrest, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office reports.
Claude Brooks, 35, was arrested in Pitt County, North Carolina, the sheriff's office announced on Monday. A warrant for first-degree murder while engaged in aggravated child abuse was issued for his arrest back in January 2021 after interviews and forensics established that Brooks was responsible for a child's death, the sheriff's office said in a news release.
He will soon be extradited to Hillsborough County for trial.
"The victim's family, along with our detectives, can rest a little easier knowing this suspect is now behind bars," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "This act of cruelty was a tragedy and will not be forgotten. There is collective outrage at #teamHCSO over this case, and we're committed to bringing Brooks to justice."
First responders were called on Dec. 30, 2019, to a home on Sunset Drive in Tampa where a family found a young child unresponsive, authorities said. That child later died at Brandon Regional Hospital.
Following interviews, the collection of forensic evidence and reviewing autopsy results that showed the child sustained serious physical injuries, "detectives believe Brooks is responsible for the child's death."