JOPLIN, Mo. —
The suspect taken into custody for suspected abuse of a 1-year-old girl in a mobile home park near Joplin has an outstanding warrant for an alleged stolen-property offense in Arkansas.
Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland said Bryant L. Sykes Jr., 24, was taken into custody this morning after briefly hiding in some woods near the BYKOTA Mobile Home Park on East 32nd Street, or Route FF, on the southeast side of Joplin.
Sykes had fled the residence where he was staying with the girl’s mother and her two other children prior to the arrival of emergency medical technicians and sheriff’s deputies about 9 p.m. Tuesday. The child was discovered not breathing and in cardiac arrest inside the home, the sheriff said.
The child was taken to Freeman Hospital West once EMTs were able to resuscitate her, according to Copeland. Doctors there told child-abuse investigators that the girl was suffering from bleeding on both sides of her brain and had lacerations to her liver and spleen.
She was flown to Children’s Hospital in Kansas City, where she remains in critical condition.
Deputies were called back to the mobile home park about 9 a.m. today when Sykes returned to the residence. Copeland said the suspect fled again into the woods but surrendered to deputies less than two hours later.
Charges have yet to be filed. Copeland said Sykes is being held on a warrant issued in Arkansas for an alleged stolen-property offense. The sheriff said he did not know the details in that case.
Copeland said two other children, ages 3 and 2, have been removed from the home and taken into state protective custody while the case remains under investigation. He said Sykes, who is the mother’s boyfriend, had been staying with them off and on in recent weeks. He said the mother left the children in his care briefly Tuesday night to go to a store.
“When she returned about 15 minutes later, he was in a panic and screaming that the baby was not breathing,” Copeland said. “He advised her then that he had set the baby on the kitchen table and apparently she had rolled off the table.”
The sheriff said doctors and investigators do not believe such a fall would account for the child’s injuries. He said the girl had learned to crawl but was not yet walking.
Local News
Mother’s boyfriend has outstanding warrant in stolen-property case
- Local News
-
-
Old McDonald County Courthouse to hold grand opening celebration this weekend
As Jean Stratton-Bird made her way into the war memorial room at the Old McDonald County Courthouse on Thursday, she came face to face with the memories of her brother Eldon E. Stratton, who was lost in battle in 1943 during War World II. “He is finally home,” Stratton-Bird said.
-
Murder warrant issued in fatal domestic shooting
Police believe Doyle Handle shot himself after fatally shooting Dena Davenport during a domestic disturbance Thursday night at their residence in Grove. Officers responded to a 6:55 p.m. report of a shooting at the couple’s home on Wood Street on the southwest side of Grove and found Handle, 52, in the front yard with a gunshot wound to his jaw.
-
Local lawmakers review session accomplishments
Joplin area lawmakers cited accomplishments and disappointments in the just-concluded Missouri legislative session during a brunch Friday sponsored by the Neosho Chamber of Commerce. Measures benefiting veterans issues were addressed in the session that ended a week ago, along with work force and labor issues, lawmakers said.
-
Diamond High School band prepares for Liberty Bowl
Classes were winding down last week at Diamond High School, but not for members of the marching band. Instead, they dug out some new music and began their first rehearsals in preparation for their next major appearance — the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, which is scheduled for Dec. 31 in Memphis, Tenn.
-
Area pools ready for plunge; Schifferdecker opening still to be announced
Though this week’s mild temperatures may not signal swim season, most area pools are ready anyway. And, the mercury should rise a little this weekend to help those anxious to dive in. Highs will be in the low 80s today and Sunday. There is a chance for isolated thunderstorms on Monday, but the thermometer should hit 82 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
-
Joplin School Board decision could take up to two weeks; Turner remains on paid leave
It could take up two weeks for the Joplin Board of Education to decide whether Randy Turner’s teaching contract should be terminated, the school district’s attorney, John Nicholas, said Friday.
-
Joplin insurance agent seeks donations for Moore, Okla.
After losing an office building and her home in the tornado on May 22, 2011, Loretta Bailey is familiar with the destruction that a tornado brings. The 400 households that her insurance agency helped through the aftermath of the tornado also know that loss. \
-
Families, friends invited to honor veterans with flags this weekend
Small lengths of plastic pipe have been installed behind the headstones of veterans graves in Joplin cemeteries so that every veteran will have a flag on Memorial Day.
-
Events, activities planned to honor veterans Monday
No ceremonies are planned at Joplin cemeteries this year or at Mount Hope Cemetery in Webb City, but a number of other events are scheduled in cities around the region.
-
Oklahoma gets far more than its share of disasters
Many states get hit frequently with tornadoes and other natural catastrophes, but Oklahoma is Disaster Central.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Old McDonald County Courthouse to hold grand opening celebration this weekend
