A Pennsylvania man finds himself entangled in a legal battle following the tragic death of his 2-year-old son in late summer. This comes just days after his girlfriend was charged with one count of homicide in connection with the same case.
Law&Crime previously reported that Bentlee Myers, 2, was battered to death on Aug. 16. The Fayette County District Attorney’s Office charged 30-year-old Brianna Bloyer with homicide on November 8.
Brett Bissett, a 25-year-old, is now facing multiple charges in the state of Pennsylvania. The police have accused him of criminal homicide, endangering the welfare of a child, and reckless endangerment.
The father’s girlfriend was charged, and shortly after, the father himself was arrested on charges of tampering with evidence, obstructing the administration of law, and hindering apprehension.
Prosecutors fulfilled their prediction this week by filing additional charges in the case from the very beginning.
In the afternoon of that specific day, another adult came to Bloyer’s home on Old Lake Lynn Road in Springhill Township, a quaint community right near the West Virginia border.
The child was discovered unresponsive by the other adult.
According to law enforcement, it is equally alarming that the individual discovered that Bloyer was aware of the condition the boy was in but did not contact 911.
The individual who called 911 remains unidentified in the complaint.
According to the complaint, Bloyer allegedly informed investigators that the child had been under her care for approximately two weeks leading up to the tragic incident. She further claimed that on the day in question, when she woke Bentlee up in the morning, he appeared disoriented and ultimately collapsed.
Law enforcement executed a search at Bloyer’s residence and obtained his phone. During the investigation, they discovered a search conducted on August 16th, which read, “how to get someone to come to when you pass out.”
Police allege that between Aug. 8 and 9, there were additional incriminating Google searches made. These searches included phrases such as “why am I so much more angry while pregnant” and “what better to make bruises fade overnight.”
According to reports, the girlfriend of the boy’s father was found to have searched for information on “homemade bruise cream” and even looked up how long it takes for carpet imprints on the face to fade away. The search query was specifically about the duration for the imprints to disappear.
According to the complaint, the police have confirmed that the woman’s phone did not make a call to 911 on the day when the fatal injuries occurred.
According to the police, Bissett initially claimed that he was unaware of the punishment system that led to his son’s death.
The boy’s father claims he was unaware of the bruises on his son, according to the police. However, he did mention to investigators that he noticed his girlfriend frequently displayed signs of stress and frustration when it came to the child. This narrative, however, later underwent a change.
According to Bissett, there were multiple instances where his girlfriend abused or neglected the child, including an incident on Aug. 9 when Bentlee was discovered unconscious in the bathtub.
According to the complaint, during that incident, the boy’s father stated that Bloyer had left the child unattended for a duration of “less than 10 minutes.” He claimed that he heard a noise resembling a fall and subsequently discovered the boy in a state of limpness.
According to reports, the father allegedly justified his decision to not remove his son from the dangerous woman by stating, “Because I loved her.”
According to authorities, Bissett reportedly continued to harbor affection for Bloyer even after the tragic loss of their child. In an effort to assist the investigation into Bloyer, Bissett initially agreed to covertly record her conversations. However, the unexpected occurred when Bissett allegedly alerted Bloyer about the ongoing surveillance.
“The father of this child went out of his way to obstruct our investigation and to aid Ms. Bloyer in getting away with this, or what he thought was going to allow her to get away with this,” Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele told CBS News earlier this month. “I don’t feel like there is one moment throughout this entire investigation that he cared about this child. I think it was all about Ms. Bloyer.”
The preliminary hearing in Bloyer’s case was initially set for Wednesday but got rescheduled earlier this week.
Bissett’s court appearance is scheduled for December 4th.
The Fayette County Jail is currently holding both defendants in custody without the option for release on bond.
