Indiana man batters girlfriend's son to death, says he was merely playing 'bite game' to calm the child down
SCHERERVILLE, INDIANA: A man arrested for allegedly murdering his girlfriend’s five-year-old son has told police he had played a "bite game" to "calm him down". Michael J Tunstall was arrested on Friday, April 17, and has been charged with murder and aggravated battery.
Soon after his arrest, the 26-year-old was interrogated by the police as they found multiple fresh bite marks and bruises on the boy’s body. Tunstall reportedly told officials that the little one woke up from a nap vomiting and fell unconscious after which he took him to a bathtub. He also said he had played a “bite game” with the boy to “calm him down”.
However, the Lake County Coroner’s Office said they found that the child died of blunt force trauma to his head and torso. The autopsy that was done on his body also revealed that the boy had several head injuries and a fractured left lung which had resulted from multiple heavy strikes to his head and body, court reports said. According to the court reports, most of the injuries were from just one hour before his death.
In his statement, Tunstall reportedly said that when the child started vomiting and fell unconscious, he immediately called his mother as she was home at that time. The mother also told officials that she found her son in the bathroom with his lips and fingertips turned blue. She allegedly performed CPR on him and claimed she did not see or hear anything before seeing the child in the bathroom.
However, detectives later discovered that the man was lying as the child’s mother was not home at the time of the incident as they confirmed it with her employer. The employer reportedly said that the woman was at work and left the place around 5.46 pm on April 16, after receiving a call from her home, which means Tunstall was the only adult near the boy at the time when he died.
Court records said that Tunstall, from south suburban Homewood, is currently in custody at the Lake County Jail without bail.
Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr said regarding the case: "In my 27 years in law enforcement, I have seen many types of tragedy. But as a police officer, the death of a child is always particularly difficult to accept."
Meanwhile, in another child abuse and death case, a mother from Wisconsin has allegedly starved his three-month-old baby to death.
Princeton Williams’ dehydrated, emaciated and extremely malnourished body was found inside his dirty home surrounded by bottles of curdled milk, police officials said.
The baby's body also had scratches, bruises, and a burn mark. An autopsy later revealed that Princeton’s weight was just seven pounds at the time of his death, which was less than the eight pounds ten ounces he had weighed when he was born.
The child’s mother, Shantoria Williams, has been arrested in the case. She faces a charge of child neglect causing greater bodily harm and will be soon presented in court.