Family Of Blaine County Toddler Speaks As OSBI Investigates 2-Year-Old’s Death

The OSBI is investigating the tragic death of a toddler in Watonga.

The toddler’s family said when 2-year-old Zavien Kinyon died, he was in the care of a babysitter.

Zavien's mother and grandmother are convinced this was not an accident.

"He was always energetic and giggly," Zavien's mom, Mikenzie Kinyon, said. "His thing was trying to make everyone smile and laugh."

Right now, Mikenzie said it’s hard to wrap their minds around what's happened.

"I just want people to know that he meant something," Zavien's grandmother, Saroya Kinyon, said.

The toddler had been staying with Saroya at her home in Greenfield while Mikenzie was in school and starting a business in Nevada.

Saroya said she met the couple that ended up watching Zavien in nearby Watonga.

Saroya and her husband went to the couple's house before trusting them with their grandson. Zavien's grandparents eventually became friends with the sitters.

At first, Saroya said they did not see any warning signs from the couple.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Saroya said. "Another set of grandparents that were helping out with their grandkids, like us."

A few times Zavien came home with some bumps and bruises, but on June 18, the sitters frantically called Saroya.

"He says, ‘Your kid fell from the bunk bed and isn't breathing,’" Saroya recalled.

When Zavien's grandparents arrived at the sitters’ home, the ambulance was already there.

"They had him on a ventilator and breathing tube and his eyes,” Saroya said. “He was gone.”

According to Saroya, on that day and over the last few weeks, the sitters' story about what happened kept changing.

Zavien's family also said doctors, nurses and others started doubting the couple's explanation.

"They brought to our attention that he had gone an extended period of time without oxygen, and he had a brain bleed,” Saroya said. 

Now, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is stepping in to investigate.

"Our No. 1 priority is justice for Zavien," Saroya said. 

Zavien's family is concerned the sitters are trying to leave Watonga and want to know why no arrests have been made.

News 9 is not identifying the couple because the OSBI confirmed they have not been arrested.

Members of the sitters' family also reached out to News 9 to let us know they had reported signs of abuse to the state’s department of human services in the past.

News 9 is now waiting to hear back from DHS and other agencies about the pair's history.

Zavien's family laid him to rest recently in Iowa where the toddler was born. The toddler's family said they wanted him buried near other family.

Mikenzie and Saroya said medical bills are piling up and they want to buy a headstone for Zavien.

If you would like to help Zavien’s family, a link to the GoFundMe can be found here.