LAND O’ LAKES, FL – Residents of a quiet Pasco County neighborhood are grappling with shock and disbelief following the arrest of a local elementary schoolteacher accused of killing her young son. Authorities say Justine Eve Mroz, 40, was taken into custody earlier this week and charged with second-degree murder in the death of her 6-year-old son, Elliot Perez.
Deputies responded to a distressing 911 call around 9:50 a.m. Sunday at a home on Drexel Road, where Mroz reportedly confessed over the phone to strangling her child. According to law enforcement, Mroz later told investigators she had “snapped” before carrying out the act.
Court documents reveal that Mroz, who had finalized a divorce in July, had picked her son up from his father’s care just two days prior to the tragedy. The evening before the incident, Mroz claimed to have struggled with suicidal thoughts, making an unsuccessful attempt on her own life.
The following morning, she told detectives she found her son—who was diagnosed with autism and was nonverbal—in his room after he had thrown up. Mroz cleaned him up and turned on the TV to comfort the boy. Moments later, according to the probable cause affidavit, Elliot began banging his head on the floor. When Mroz attempted to restrain him, the situation escalated into a physical struggle, with her son reportedly kicking, biting, and hitting her.
Investigators say Mroz admitted to using her bare hands to strangle the child as she straddled him. The affidavit notes she continued until he became unresponsive, at which point she left the room, attempted to harm herself, and then called 911 for help. Before authorities arrived, Mroz also sent a text message to her family expressing remorse.
Emergency personnel transported Mroz to a hospital for injuries sustained to her wrists. Hospital tests indicated she had THC in her system at the time. Law enforcement confirmed the victim’s identity as Elliot Perez.
Pasco County School District officials acknowledged that Mroz worked for the district but withheld further information about her employment status, citing staff privacy regulations. Crisis support teams were sent to school campuses to assist both students and staff reeling from the tragic news.
“This heartbreaking incident has left the entire school community in mourning,” a district representative said, adding that Mroz will not return to any campus while the investigation continues.
Neighbors described the area as a close-knit community where such a violent event is almost unheard of.
Mroz remains detained without bond and is set to appear in court at the West Pasco County Judicial Center on October 27 for a status hearing. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to piece together the circumstances leading to the child’s death.