SANDY, Utah — A Sandy couple who claim to work as nurses in the medical field have been arrested on child abuse charges after a 3-year-old girl was found unresponsive in her home after allegedly being beaten.
Tyrel Belone, 28, and Amber Leary, 29, were arrested Sunday and face numerous charges, including child abuse, child torture and tampering with a witness.
Police were called to the couple's apartment after receiving a call about an unresponsive child. When officers arrived, they found the girl on the bed "with her eyes open" but "not tracking," the arrest report said.
The girl, who is Leary's daughter, was also found with bruises all over her body, as well as a skull fracture. According to the arrest report, "doctors advised "the bruises are not consistent with accidental injury or from play."
While talking to police, Belone, who is Leary's live-in boyfriend but not the father of the child, said that he was a traveling nurse with a degree in nursing, while Leary works as a certified nursing assistant.
Belone allegedly admitted to becoming frustrated with the child over potty training, claiming she had "regressed the last couple weeks." Because of his frustration, he threw the girl on her bed, "and she ricocheted off the bed and hit the wall with her head." After crying for several minutes, the girl became lethargic and started breathing "funny," according to Belone, who did not call 911 for help, only texting Leary about what happened.
Belone added that he is responsible for watching the child while Leary works 12-hour shifts and that the child has bruises on her body from him carrying and spanking her with an open hand. He also told police that he punched the girl in the cheekbone and temple "with a closed fist."
In the arrest report, Leary told police that on June 22, Belone sent her a text saying, "I'm going to murder [the girl]" and "I'm about to crack her skull." Despite receiving the text, police said Leary did not leave work or call 911. When Belone texted five days later, "come home I'm going to stab her," Leary also did not leave work or attempt to contact anyone.
Leary did return home after learning her daughter was unresponsive, but did not call 911 for nearly 90 minutes after finding the girl. After a 911 call was made, at the behest of Belone's mother, Belone allegedly told Leary that "she has no friends or family here and he would go to jail," and tried to convince her not to call the police.
Once the child was found by officers, she was airlifted to Primary Children's Hospital and placed into the ICU in serious condition with a fractured skull and brain bleed.
