2-Year-Old Dies After Being Hit with Braided Dog Toy, Mom's Boyfriend Charged with Child Abuse

A Memphis, Tenn., man was arrested and charged with child abuse after his girlfriend’s son died, according to court documents.

First responders found the child, identified in the complaint as Anthony Bakare, unresponsive and not breathing, with bruises on his body and blood on his mouth early Monday morning, police said in the affidavit.

The child’s mother told police she had seen her son in good health Sunday night before she went to bed. Andrews then started watching him, she told police, adding that she had previously seen her boyfriend allegedly hit her son with the dog toy and a belt, the arrest report said.

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The arrest report also alleges that Andrew admitted to police that he had previously hit him “harder than he should have,” while also admitting that he had hit the child seven or eight times with the dog toy that night, and shoved him into the corner.

Andrews, according to police, also said he put the child back in bed before he fell out minutes later, the outlets said.

ABC 24reported that the charges against Andrews could be upgraded depending on the autopsy results.

Jail records show that Andrews is currently in custody, being held on $250,000 bond. It is not immediately clear if he has entered a plea. He has a court date scheduled for Thursday.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com