Other children from the family’s home were placed in state care as police investigated the condition of a hospitalized 15-year-old.
FLOMATON, Ala. — A hospital notification about a 15-year-old Flomaton child in critical condition set off a cross-state investigation that led to a search of the child’s home, criminal charges against the parents and protective action involving other children who lived there.
The investigation began at about 5:13 a.m. Sept. 1, when authorities in Florida contacted the Flomaton Police Department after the juvenile was taken to Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. Police said information received during the initial response raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s condition and prompted investigators in Alabama to examine the home environment.
Flomaton officers obtained a search warrant and searched the residence where the 15-year-old lived on Titi Street. Authorities have not released a detailed inventory of what was found or a full description of the conditions investigators documented. Police have said they are limiting information to protect the juvenile and preserve the integrity of the continuing investigation.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama confirmed to WEAR News that other children were at the residence. Those children were placed in the care of the Alabama Department of Human Resources. Officials have not publicly released additional details about the children, including their ages, and their identities have not been disclosed.
The investigation also led police to obtain arrest warrants for the teenager’s parents, Eric Douglas McClure, 41, and Cynthia Danielle Tedder, 36. Both were initially charged with torture and willful abuse of a child under 18 by a responsible person. They were arrested in Pensacola after the investigation began.
Police later added attempted murder charges against both McClure and Tedder as investigators continued reviewing the case with the Escambia County District Attorney’s Office. Authorities have said developments and evidence obtained during the investigation led to the added charges, but they have not publicly explained the specific allegations supporting the attempted murder counts.
McClure and Tedder initially remained in Florida custody while awaiting extradition. By Sept. 6, both had been returned to Alabama and were being held at the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton without bond, according to the latest available local reporting. The criminal accusations against them have not been adjudicated.
The case has involved agencies on both sides of the Alabama-Florida state line because the child was hospitalized in Pensacola while the residence under investigation was in Flomaton. The hospital contact served as the first publicly disclosed step in a sequence that moved from a medical emergency to a police investigation, a residential search, protective placement of other children and felony charges.
Police have not released a newer public assessment of the hospitalized teenager’s condition or a detailed account of what investigators believe occurred before the child arrived at the hospital. Authorities also have not announced final findings from the investigation.
The Flomaton Police Department continues to describe the matter as active. The latest confirmed developments place McClure and Tedder in Alabama custody while investigators continue examining the circumstances surrounding the 15-year-old’s hospitalization and the conditions connected to the family home.
Author note: Last updated September 7, 2026.