Mother, boyfriend charged with child's death

BENTON, Mo. — The mother of a 2-year-old Benton girl has been charged with her daughter’s death, and additional charges have been filed for her boyfriend who is also charged with the toddler’s death.

Raymond “Bradley” DeJournett, 25, of Benton is charged with child abuse resulting in death; endangering the welfare of a child, resulting in death; two counts of child abuse resulting in serious physical injury; and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child resulting in serious physical injury, according to Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Amanda Oesch.

Amanda Kay Bramlett, 33, of Benton is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, resulting in death; endangering the welfare of a child, resulting in serious physical injury; and an additional count of endangering the welfare of a child, resulting in serious physical injury, according to the prosecuting attorney.

Amanda Bramlett

Amanda Bramlett

According to the probable cause statement provided by the Scott County Prosecuting Attorney and the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, officers responded Saturday to a home just outside of Benton for a report of an unresponsive 2 year old. When the deputy entered the home, he reportedly saw what he believed to be bruises all over the child from the neck down to the knees.

The child was taken by ambulance to a Cape Girardeau hospital and was pronounced dead at 5:12 p.m.

The deputy said the adult who found the child was identified as DeJournett, who said he was the live-in boyfriend of Bramlett and was watching the child and three other siblings in the home, the probable cause statement said. DeJournett allegedly said the child was eating pizza with her brother and had vomited so he put her in the bath. DeJournett said that he had to go make a bottle, so he left the children alone for about three minutes. When he came back, he said the child was not herself and she couldn’t talk, but could stand up with help.

According to the probable cause statement, DeJournett told officers he dried her off and put clothes on her and that is when she immediately stopped breathing.

He reportedly said he started CPR and ran into the living room where he had a woman in the call 911 and he continued CPR until fire responders arrived.

The siblings in the home were interviewed.

According to he probable cause statement, one child said that “(daddy) hurts him, his sister and brother.” The child said earlier that day, his “sissy” threw up and that made him throw up so “daddy put them in the bathtub, and put sissy under water.” The child also said that “daddy held sissy under water and when she came up, she was dead.”

While interviewing DeJournett at the sheriff’s office, he became emotional and asked to talk to the child’s mother. She was brought into the room and DeJournett reportedly told her that this was a “terrible accident,” according to the probable cause. He allegedly said he was playing around with the children about holding their breath under water.

According to the probable cause statement, DeJournett said the 2 year old “was only under water for four or five seconds,” and that he did everything he could to save her.

Bramlett, the mother of the child, was also interviewed.

According to the probable cause statement, she said she had left the house around 1:35 p.m. and when she left, everything was fine.

When asked about bruising on the child, Bramlett said DeJournett is the one that disciplines at the house, and he also handled the duties of the three oldest children, the probable cause said.

The investigation continued and, according to the Scott County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, authorities learned about another child in the home with an injury.

The children in the home were taken to be medically screened. According to the probable cause statement, it was found that another one of the children had a broken/fractured back.

An autopsy was performed on the 2-year-old girl on Monday. The results showed she suffered broken ribs, as well as a severed duodenum. The duodenum was described as the first part of the small intestine, immediately beyond the stomach.

According to the autopsy results, the preliminary cause of death was said to be blunt force trauma to the abdomen, and her death was ruled as a homicide.

On Tuesday, Bramlett and DeJournett were interviewed at the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the probable cause statement, Bramlett said she saw DeJournett throw one of the children against a wall in the home about a month ago. She allegedly said that’s probably how the child broke his back.

Authorities said Bramlett told them the child told her “daddy hurt him.” She allegedly said she didn’t do anything to intervene. She also said that the children in the home called DeJournett “daddy.”

According to the probable cause statement, Bramlett said DeJournett often does “wrestling moves” on the kids in the home. She described moves like a choke slam, a leg lock and said he “throws them around.”

Authorities say she also told them she had witnessed him hit the kids with the broken handle of a broom.

Bond for Bramlett is set at $100,000 cash or surety. DeJournett was arraigned Wednesday in Scott County Court, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. July 15 before Judge Robert Zachary Horack. His bond is set at $250,000 cash or surety.