Days after his partner was charged with one count of homicide in the same case, a Pennsylvania father is now facing legal action in connection with the death of his 2-year-old son in the late summer.
The beating death of 2-year-old Bentlee Myers on August 16 was previously reported. Brianna Bloyer, 30, was charged with homicide by the Fayette County District Attorney’s Office on November 8.
Brett Bissett, 25, has now been charged with one count of criminal homicide by Pennsylvania police. He is also accused with reckless endangerment and jeopardizing a child’s welfare.
Associated coverage:
The father was arrested on allegations of tampering with evidence, obstructing the administration of justice, and impeding arrest a few days after his girlfriend was charged.
This Thursday, prosecutors filed the additional counts they had anticipated filing in the case from the beginning.
According to a criminal complaint acquired by the Observer-Reporter, Bissett witnessed his girlfriend repeatedly assault and attempt to assault Bentlee between the time of his death this year and when he was six months old.
The complaint claims that the father repeatedly addressed the alleged murderer about the abuse and the injuries the kid sustained, but he subsequently let the cycle continue by putting Bentlee in the care of his girlfriend on multiple occasions.
Early in the afternoon on the designated day, another adult showed up at Bloyer’s house on Old Lake Lynn Road in Springhill Township, a small town located directly across the border from West Virginia.
The child was discovered to be unresponsive by the other adult.
According to law authorities, that individual found out that Bloyer knew of the boy’s condition but chose not to call 911.
The 911 caller’s identity is not disclosed in the complaint.
The complaint claims that the other adult told dispatchers that the boy didn’t seem to be breathing, had his feet propped up, and had a blue face.
The youngster was taken to a neighboring hospital by first responders, but it was too little, too late; Bentlee passed away from his wounds when the doctors declared him brain dead.
Bloyer reportedly informed police that the youngster had been with her for roughly two weeks on the day of the deadly incident.
The defendant then alleged in the lawsuit that Bentlee stumbled around until passing out the moment she woke him up that morning.
Following a check of the home, police confiscated Bloyer’s phone. The search for “how to get someone to come to when you pass out” was allegedly found on the device by police on August 16.
According to investigators, other damning Google searches were made between August 8 and 9, including “why am I so much more angry while pregnant?” and “what better way to make bruises fade overnight.”
How long does it take for the carpet imprint on the boy’s face to disappear? The boy’s father’s girlfriend is also said to have looked for homemade bruising cream.
Police verified that the woman’s phone did not call 911 on the day of her fatal injuries, according to the lawsuit.
Police said Bissett first claimed he didn’t know about the punishment system that murdered his kid.
Police said the boy’s father denied knowing the boy had bruises when he was asked to explain the injuries.
Investigators were purportedly informed by the father that he had observed his girlfriend’s regular stress and frustration with the youngster. Then the story took a different turn.
Bissett went on to recount other incidents in which his girlfriend abused or neglected the child, including one that happened on August 9 and led to Bentlee being found comatose in the bathtub.
According to the complaint, the boy s father stated that Bloyer left the child alone for less than 10 minutes, heard what sounded like a fall, and found the boy limp.
On other occasions, the father allegedly admitted to witnessing Bloyer punching his son really hard in the face and hitting him with a belt.
When asked why he never took his son away from the woman s danger, the father allegedly responded, Because I loved her.
That love allegedly continued after the child s death. According to police, Bissett initially agreed to help with their investigation into Bloyer by secretly recording her. Then, police claim that Bissett informed Bloyer about the surveillance.
The father of this child went out of his way to obstruct our investigation and to help Ms. Bloyer get away with this or what he thought she would get away with, Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele told CBS News earlier this month. I don t believe he cared about this child at any point during the investigation. I believe it was all about Ms. Bloyer.
A preliminary hearing in Bloyer s case was originally scheduled for Wednesday but was rescheduled earlier this week.
The court date for Bissett s appearance is December 4.
The Fayette County Jail is holding both defendants without bond.
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