FRONT ROYAL, VA – A Virginia man has been charged with second-degree murder after allegedly strangling his 1-year-old son, police say.

Nathaniel Lee Edmonds, 24, of Front Royal, stands accused of ending the life of his toddler. Authorities were alerted to a child in cardiac arrest on the afternoon of September 18 and responded to a home on the 300 block of North Royal Avenue. Medics from Warren County Fire & Rescue transported the boy to Warren Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to a police affidavit, the child’s mother left for work, entrusting Edmonds with his care. Upon her return, she found her son unresponsive and Edmonds missing from the residence. Edmonds was later located by police using a phone locator in north Front Royal, walking along U.S. 522 North at Fairground Road. He was arrested and subsequently interviewed by the authorities.

During the post-arrest interrogation, Edmonds reportedly confessed to using both hands to choke his son for several minutes because he was frustrated with the boy’s behavior. He described seeing his child foaming at the mouth as he carried out the act.

Law enforcement has withheld the victim’s name due to the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation and declined further comment.

Edmonds, who has a prior arrest record for domestic violence-related charges from last year, is currently being held at the Rappahannock-Shenandoah-Warren Regional Jail without bond until hs next court appearance which is scheduled for December 19.

The Front Royal Police Department urges anyone with additional information about this case to come forward.