A Pennsylvania man is facing charges for killing his girlfriend's 2-year-old son, burning the toddler's groin and beating the little boy before stuffing his body in a bag, according to local police and court documents.
Trevaughn Lee Glenn Stribling-Jackson, 24, was arrested by officers with the Oil City Police Department (OCPD) on Wednesday and charged with one count each of criminal homicide, aggravated assault, concealment of the whereabouts of a child, and abuse of a corpse in the death of his girlfriend's toddler, court documents show.
The victim was identified as 2-year-old Keaton Morrison, according to local media reports.
The little boy's mother, 22-year-old Caleigh Gladfelter, has also been arrested and is charged with endangering the welfare of her son for not reporting prior alleged abuse by Stribling-Jackson, local station WTAE reports.
Newsweek reached out via email on Saturday to the OCPD for comment and an update on the case. It was unclear at the time of publication whether Stribling-Jackson and Gladfelter had retained attorneys who could comment on their behalf.
Morrison and Gladfelter lived with Stribling-Jackson and were house guests at a home in the 600 block of North Street in Oil City, according to the criminal complaint, which states that's where the alleged abuse and slaying occurred.
The mother told police that she last saw her son Monday afternoon when she left the toddler in Stribling-Jackson's care when she went to work. When she returned home, Gladfelter told investigators that Morrison was missing and when she questioned Stribling-Jackson about the little boy's whereabouts, he allegedly told her that the toddler was with his relatives in another city, WTAE reported. When Gladfelter found traces of blood, she became suspicious and contacted police on Wednesday, according to the station.
Hours after the mother reported her young son missing, investigators found the toddler's body in a canvas-like bag, hidden from view in the basement of the house.
Police said it appeared that the toddler had suffered injuries to the head and face, as well as a suspected burn in the inner groin area. His official cause of death had not been determined at the time of publication.
During questioning, Goldfelter allegedly admitted that Stribling-Jackson had abused her son on other occasions and that she had observed bruising on the 2-year-old's ribcage, according to the criminal complaint.
Stribling-Jackson told Goldfelter the injuries were from Morrison falling down the stairs, the court documents state.
Both Goldfelter and Stribling-Jackson are being held at the Venango County jail.
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