Mother Says 'No Way' Son Murdered His 2-Year-Old Step-Daughter

Norman police are investigating the death of a 2-year-old little girl. Right now her stepfather is in jail, accused of killing her, but his mother tells News 9 there is no way he could have done it.

Norman police state Tyler Young, 24, was booked into the Cleveland County Detention Center late Wednesday night and is being held without bond. 

I have never seen him more gentle in his life than he is with her," said Tammy Young, Tyler's mom. "I've never seen him in love with someone more. She was daddy's little girl."

Tammy Young still can't believe that her son Tyler stands accused of murder. She said though the child wasn't his biological daughter, he treated her like his own.

8/6/15 Related Story: Norman Man Arrested For Murder In Death Of 2-Year-Old Step-Daughter

"He loved this girl with all his heart, with everything inside of him," said Tammy Young. "He never raised his voice to her, never said an unkind word to her he dotted over her."
 

But Norman police say Sunday afternoon; they got a 911 call from Tyler Young to rush to the apartment on Dewey Ave.  He shared the apartment with his wife and stepdaughter. He told the operator his 2-year-old stepdaughter Elizabeth wasn't responding. The child was rushed by ambulance to Norman regional hospital where she later died. 

The medical examiner’s office states the child's cause and manner of death is still pending and that they are still waiting for toxicology results to come in. But police state there was enough probable cause to arrest Young and that he was the only one with her when she became unresponsive.

"There was trauma to the child's body," said Captain Tom Easley with the Norman Police Department.

Tyler's mother said it happened while he was home alone with Elizabeth in the apartment, she slipped in the shower. Her mother was at work. Young said at first Elizabeth seemed fine, but then she was unconscious and that's when Tyler began CPR.

“They told us at the hospital after they pronounced her dead that the trauma could have been caused by the CPR,” said Tammy Young. “If he hurt her doing CPR he didn’t mean to, he would have never done that.”

Tammy Young admits her son has had a troubled, criminal past with convictions for concealing stolen property, larceny, and drug related charges. But she said he had turned his life around, especially when he met his wife who he had just married back in June.

“He had a football injury, turned to pain pill addiction, and it went from there.  Anyone who’s had addiction in their family knows it’s a hard road.”

Now Tammy says Young is in jail, grieving, just like the rest of the family. “This was a beautiful baby who had a loving family.”

Tyler Young has yet to be formally arraigned or charged.

The funeral for little Elizabeth is set for Saturday morning.