Affidavit: Norman Child Suffered Internal Injuries, Trauma Before She Died

A 2-year-old Norman child suffered internal injuries, and trauma to her abdomen and head before she died at the hospital, according to an affidavit released on Friday.

Friday, August 7th 2015, 3:53 pm

By: News 9

Affidavit: Norman Child Suffered Internal Injuries, Trauma Before She Died

A 2-year-old Norman child suffered internal injuries, and trauma to her abdomen and head before she died at the hospital, according to an affidavit released on Friday.

The girl’s step-father, 24-year-old Tyler Young, was arrested Wednesday afternoon on a first-degree murder charge in connection to her death.

According to an affidavit released on Friday, Young said he took the child to a Wal-Mart store in Norman at about 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 2. He said the child seemed tired and tried to fall asleep in her car seat on their way home. When they got home, Young said he wanted to give the child a bath. So he stood her up in the bathtub, facing the shower head.

However, Young said the child fell forward. He said it was a heavy fall and he immediately picked her up and carried her into the living room, and called the child’s mother and 911. He said the child was semi-conscious and attempting to answer his questions, along with mumbling some words.

Young told police he attempted CPR on the child, but instead of pressing on her chest, he pressed on her stomach. Later that night, the child passed away at the hospital from her injuries. Hospital staff said the child was suffering from internal bleeding too massive to resuscitate. Her abdomen was covered in small bruises from the chest to the hip.

Police said they obtained surveillance video from Wal-Mart, showing Young and the girl leaving the store. Officers said the child did not appear to be in any distress or pain when leaving Wal-Mart.

According to the affidavit, preliminary information from the Medical Examiner’s office indicates that the child had 180 ml of liquid blood and 20 ml clotted blood in her abdominal area. She suffered internal injuries and trauma to her body. Doctors with the ME’s office said that the girl suffered blunt force trauma to the head. But the main trauma was in her abdomen.

Doctors said the injuries to the child’s abdomen were not consistent with CPR. An official autopsy report is pending.

Doctors at the Children’s Hospital said the child’s injuries were not consistent with Young’s story. They said surveillance video showing the two walking out of Wal-Mart at 3:25 p.m., and the fact that Young called 911 at 3:58 p.m., proves that the child’s injuries had to have occurred during that 33 minute time frame. Doctors said it was impossible to cause that much internal damage by pressing on the stomach in an attempt to perform CPR. Police said Young was the child's sole caretaker during that period and that no one else was around her.

Officers said when they interviewed Young, he changed his story of how the child suffered internal injuries three different times. He ended up telling police that she fell off the kitchen counter and he attempted to catch her with his foot, kicking her in the abdomen.

Young was arrested on August 5 and booked into the Cleveland County Jail on a complaint of first-degree murder.

News 9 spoke with Young's mother, Tammy Young, on Thursday. She said she still can't believe that her son stands accused of murder. She said though the child wasn't his biological daughter, he treated her like his own.