3-year-old boy living with his father found dead inside clothes dryer just a day after his birthday
A three-year-old boy was found dead inside a dryer just a day after his third birthday, investigative authorities in Virginia said.
According to The Virginian Pilot, Chet Lloyd dialed 911 around 5 pm on August 7 to report that his son, Brantley, was not breathing. The father allegedly woke up to find that Brantley had climbed out of his crib and into a dryer, according to the newspaper. Chet immediately called his mother, Amanda Ray, and told to her to get home as soon as possible. When she arrived, she found to her dismay that the law enforcement authorities were already at the scene.
Lloyd had found Brantley inside of the clothes dryer after waking up from sleep, he told Amanda. Brantley reportedly died at some point between 5.30 am and 4.55 pm, according to The Virginia Beach Police Department. "It doesn’t make sense to me," Amanda said. "Nothing is adding up. I don’t understand how my baby was in a dryer. I don’t understand how he died."
“He was unresponsive and covered in sweat and extremely hot,” Lloyd said. “I don’t know if he panicked and couldn’t get out. He had asthma.”
He had been living with his son for over a year and a half ever since Amanda moved out. He said Brantley had just celebrated his third birthday the day before the incident. Apparently, the young boy was in a bad mood both at daycare and throughout the rest of the day. Chet said he "wasn't being himself."
Brantley allegedly cried for hours on August 6 and so Lloyd let him sleep on the couch for a bit before tucking him in his crib. The following day, Lloyd slept until later than usual as he was up all night with his son. To his horror, when he woke up, he found Brantley unresponsive in the dryer.
While Amanda described her son as fearless, Lloyd said his son loved Nerf guns and going to the beach. “We just got him in the water for the first time this summer,” she said. “He loved to be outside and playing.”
“He died the day after his birthday,” Amanda said of her son. “I didn’t even get to say happy birthday.”
Amanda even said that Brantley loved spending time with his siblings. “I had to explain to them that they aren’t going to see their baby brother anymore,” she said. “It is hard to explain death to a 7- and 6-year-old.”
Ever since her son's untimely death, Amanda has been trying to keep it together by watching videos of him laughing. “His laugh was unforgettable,” she said. “I keep playing videos over and over again.”
The Virginia Beach Police Department is still investigating the incident.