Surveillance video shows person pushing child underwater Surveillance video shows person pushing child underwater

Tiffany Griffith, 36, of Fort Myers, has been charged with child abuse – which was downgraded from aggravated child abuse – in court on Tuesday after her arrest. Witnesses told deputies that a woman, later identified as Griffith, entered the pool where a group of children were playing and began splashing water on them. Griffin then grabbed the 6-year-old boy by the shoulders and held him underwater for a few seconds, according to the sheriff’s office arrest affidavit. A surveillance video showed the dunking taking place from between two and four seconds. 

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A woman accused of pushing a 6-year-old boy underwater at a hotel swimming pool in Osceola County, was released from jail.

Tiffany Griffith, 36, of Fort Myers, has been charged with child abuse – which was downgraded from aggravated child abuse – in court on Tuesday after her arrest. 

A judge set her bond at $20,000. 

As Griffith walked out of the Osceola County Jail on Tuesday, covering her face while holding hands with her husband.

FOX 35’s Manny Martinez asked her what was going through her head at the time of the alleged incident. 

Griffith did not respond, and the couple got into their truck. 

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Surveillance video shows child dunked by adult

The backstory:

Osceola County deputies were called to the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee on Friday for a verbal disturbance and “possible drowning incident.” 

Witnesses told deputies that a woman, later identified as Griffith, entered the pool where a group of children were playing and began splashing water on them. Griffin then grabbed the 6-year-old boy by the shoulders and held him underwater for a few seconds, according to the sheriff’s office arrest affidavit. Surveillance video showed the dunking taking place from between two and four seconds.

Griffith also allegedly splashed the boy before and after the dunking. 

Deputies said Griffith is a former law enforcement officer in Fort Myers.

The boy left the pool “visibly upset” and had a nosebleed, the sheriff’s office said in a release. 

The husband of Tiffany Griffith, who is accused of holding down a child in a hotel pool, testified on her behalf on Dec. 23, 2025. 

Griffith also yelled at the boy’s mother before leaving the pool area, according to deputies.  

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‘Protecting my son’

Deputies made contact with Griffith, who told them that her 7-year-old son – who is a nonverbal autistic child – was first dunked underwater by the victim. She told deputies she entered the pool to pull out her son and then confronted the other child’s parents about the incident. 

Griffith told deputies she was “protecting my son.”

Griffith’s husband testified in an Osceola County courthouse that a child in the pool repeatedly held his son down. 

“Tiffany and I basically looked at each other and asked where this kid’s parents were, why they weren’t watching him,” the husband said. “He (their son) came up crying. The kid pushed him under again. That’s when Tiffany got into the water and basically separated them.” 

Tiffany Griffith, 36, is accused of holding down a child underwater in a hotel pool. 

Was alcohol involved? 

A report said hotel security says alcohol could have been a factor. As part of her bond, she can’t return to the resort, can’t have alcohol and has been ordered to have no contact with the boy or his parents.

The Source: This article was written with information from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, court documents and reporting by FOX 35’s Manny Martinez. 

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