AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A father charged in the murder of his 1-year-old son appeared in court today for a bond hearing.
Bond was set at $50,000 for Tyrone Scott on a murder charge and $10,000 for a child cruelty charge.
He and his wife, Salena Tyler-Scott, are accused of repeatedly turning off their child’s ventilator, which investigators say led to his death.
The parents were both arrested last Tuesday and are charged with murder and cruelty to children.
Their son died at Augusta University Medical Center on Feb. 13.
According to the Richmond County Coroner’s Office, Travis Scott died after emergency medical crews had taken the child to the hospital from the family home in the 1900 block of Watkins Street.
Tyrone Scott’s bond hearing was set for 10 a.m. today and it began a few minutes after that.
Prosecutors opposed bond for him, although his attorney pointed out his ties to the CSRA, saying he was born in Edgefield and has lived in the area all his life. At the hearing, the prosecutor and defense attorney both said Travis was born premature with lung problems and needed to use a ventilator.
The defense attorney described Travis as a miracle child who wasn’t supposed to be born after previous medical problems of the couple.
The prosecutor said Salena Scott wasn’t in the home when Travis stopped breathing, and she said when it happened, Tyrone Scott didn’t call 911 but called his wife.
She came home and began performing CPR, the prosecutor said, but 911 wasn’t called until that point.
The prosecutor said that at the hospital, it was clear to doctors Travis was brain dead.
The parents had left the hospital to go home, and they called the hospital to get an update, and the mother told the hospital they didn’t want the child on life support, according to the prosecutor
The prosecutor described Tyrone Scott as a danger to the community.
The mother and father claim the baby would pull out his own tracheotomy tube and an alarm would not go off as it was supposed to.
The prosecutor said this is impossible, but the machine has been sent for testing. The results have not come back yet.
Doctors say the only way this could happen is if the tube is pulled out, and then something else covers the hole in the neck to “trick” the machine.
The parents say the baby would put his fingers there to cover the hole. Doctors say the baby’s fingers are too small to fully cover the hole, so that would be impossible.
The Division of Children and Family Services was called multiple times by medical personnel at Augusta University Medical Center, according to the prosecution.
Doctors say the parents would miss appointments, take the trach out, and one time they checked the baby out of the hospital against medical advice, according to the prosecution.
The defense said the parents were concerned the settings on the ventilator were too high and would therefore cause scarring to the lungs, which can be fatal in itself. That’s why they would unplug the vent sometimes, according to the defense.
According to the prosecution, law enforcement officers said when they searched the home, it smelled like marijuana and smoke, clearly bad conditions for a child with a lung disease.
The prosecution said there was no bedding on the crib, it looked like the baby had been sleeping on a pad on the floor and the house was in “disarray.”
The defense said they had home health care assistance that was supposed to be there 84 hours per week, and if this were true, home health worker would have made some sort of report against them. The defense said the only DFACS reports were made by AU Medical Center and that DFACS apparently never found that parents were unfit.
Nevertheless, a case report from deputies said, “During the investigation, it was found that there was neglect on the part of both listed offenders/parents of the victim ... that led to the death of the victim.”
Coroner Mark Bowen also blamed neglect for the death.
Read deputies’ case report and arrest warrants
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