Mother Fears For Daughter's Life After Alleged Abuse

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

SHAWNEE, Oklahoma -- A mother and her family are begging for help after their baby was left battered and bruised.

A Shawnee family said the abuse of their little girl is another classic case of child abuse in Oklahoma. Misty Stuteville, the girl's mother, said unless something changes, her baby girl, Breanne, is destined to become another statistic.

Stuteville claimed the baby's father is to blame when the child came home with a black eye.

"He'd make up some kind of excuse, she fell or fell into something," Stuteville said.

Stuteville said the baby's bruises were no accident. She said she first noticed the marks on her daughter's body when she was just a few months old, and they always appeared after Breanne spent time with her father.

"I called DHS and made my reports and they did an investigation and they just said it was OK. That nothing is going on," Stuteville said.

Stuteville's mother, Tammy Britt, has been helping her daughter document the alleged abuse.

"Every mark is more intense. It's just worse every time," Britt said.

They said each time they noticed a mark or a scar on Breanne they either contacted Shawnee police or DHS, but nothing was ever done. Stuteville said to say the situation has been frustrating is an understatement.

"Especially with all that happened to Kelsey, Kelsey Briggs, it's like they don't ever want to do anything," Stuteville said.

The breaking point came in July when Breanne came home in a worse condition than ever before. That's when the child was rushed to Midwest City Regional Hospital.

Doctors said the injuries were caused by child abuse, and Breanne was taken into protective custody. The family said the Oklahoma County D.A.'s office is now investigating, but no charges have been filed because the family said DHS is dragging its feet.

"It's kind of irritating you got to fight this hard to get anything done," Stuteville said.

Breanne is now with her great-grandmother, but both parents still have visitation rights. Britt said the situation is not fair and fears the system will once again fail.

"I'm afraid of driving down the road and seeing her picture on everybody's car, like Kelsey," Britt said.

DHS is not able to comment on specific cases. Also, the Shawnee police chief was not available for comment.

Breanne's father has not been charged and could not be reached for comment.

More on News9.com: Father of Allegedly Abused Daughter Speaks Out