(Editors note: This is the first installment of a multi-part series on the life -- and tragic death -- of eight-month-old Amelia Grace Tuell. Today, we recap the terrible first weekend of July, 2018 when she was taken off life support after a terrible beating.)
One full year after experiencing an excruciating tragedy that took the life of their precious eight-month-old daughter, granddaughter and niece, a Logan County family has only the comfort of their memories and the anguish of unanswered questions embedded in the months of their emotional suffering.
On July 1, 2018, the family of tiny eight-month-old Amelia Tuell received a telephone call that changed their lives. Amelia, who was living with her mother, her mother's live-in boyfriend and an older sister in the Oklahoma City area, was in the hospital and they were told their precious angel " was not going to make it".
"That day our families life changed forever," said Mandie Langway. "Waking into Amelia’s hospital room was like walking into a scene from a horror movie and that exactly what we were ... in a horror movie."
Amelia, the subject of mishandled DHS investigations and failed communications between the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma when she was taken to Oklahoma City by her mother, Heather Patton, suffered a tremendous beating at the hands of a fiend (or fiends) and died the following day as her Arkansas family, prayed for a miracle and hoped for the best.
It was heartbreaking and gut wrenching," said Langway. "Learning of all her injuries--and all the measures the nurses and doctors had done to try and save her made us have hope, As the hours went by with no change in her status, our hope and faith slowly started slipping away."
Amelia had trauma to her head, spine fractures, liver lacerations and an injured pancreas.
"Amelia fought hard to stay with us... over 24 hours that precious baby fought and fought like hell", said Langway. "The next day the doctor said the last hope was cooling her body down with ice...but there was no change... that’s when the decision was made to take her off life support."
Michael Bradley, the 22-year-old live-in lover of Heather Patton, had already been charged with child abuse after Amelia was brought to the hospital. He had been watching the girl in their residence the day the child suffered the injuries.
After Amelia was taken off life support, he was also charged with capital murder.
Heather Patton was taken into custody but was later released. The capital murder charge against Bradley was later withdrawn and officials in Oklahoma say the charges are currently "being amended".
Amelia's grandmother, Katrina Tuell, says her son, the father of the child, was best friends with the mother's boyfriend in high school until the mother and Bradley took Amelia to Oklahoma in March of 2018. The Booneville woman says "no one" is standing up for Amelia and the Oklahoma law enforcement, court and DHS officials have dropped the ball.
"That baby was my son's whole world," said Tuell. "That was his reason for breathing. That was his heartbeat...and they took it all away. We really hope that justice is served for her. She deserves that."
"Think of it ...would you want someone doing that to your grandbaby or your child, your niece or nephew? Anybody."
Mandie Langway said that while the death of Amelia was devastating, the seeming indifference to finding out the truth and punishing those responsible just compounds the families' grief.
"I don’t know how any law enforcement officer--or even a court official-- can read the doctors reports and see what they did to Amelia and the response be no return phone calls, no trials...nothing," said Langway. "I just don’t know how to describe what feelings we have as a family as we fight day to day to just keep getting no response... but you can bet had it been their family this happened to they would have locked them up and thrown away the key!"
(Next up: Enough blame to go around...)
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