Jayla tested positive for meth and suffered brain swelling. Prior to Justin Andrews inflicting fatal harm upon his girlfriend's 18-month-old daughter, he extracted six teeth from her delicate mouth.
On the 21st of March, 2008, Alyssa Haag beseeched her mother to transport her 18-month-old daughter, Jayla Watters, from her El Dorado residence to a Topeka hospital. Jayla was inert, with her eyes cast back in her head. Jayla's grandmother reiterated the account Alyssa had conveyed regarding the injuries: a purported fall down a flight of stairs.
Jayla's diminutive form exhibited contusions in various stages of healing, along with scorch marks on her skin. Six teeth were absent, and she was grievously malnourished, bearing a fractured jaw and severe cranial trauma. The interior of her jaw displayed bite marks, potentially indicating that she had gnawed on her cheek as a self-soothing mechanism. Jayla valiantly fought for her life in the hospital, while investigators meticulously searched through Amber and Justin's abode. Noteworthy discoveries included a blood-stained shirt and blankets, alongside a pair of pliers on a nightstand beside a dented Altoids can. Alyssa asserted that "Jayla ground her teeth out" when these items were uncovered by the police. Additionally, officers unearthed five teeth with attached roots that had been dislodged.
Eight days post Jayla's admission to the hospital, medical professionals delivered a heart-wrenching prognosis to her family, indicating that she would "have no prospect of a normal life owing to cerebral damage." They recommended discontinuing life support, and Jayla succumbed on the 30th of March, 2012.
In a startling admission, Alyssa collaborated with the police again subsequent to Jayla's demise. Although it took time, she eventually provided further elucidation on the events of that night, attributing the majority of Jayla's injuries to Justin.
Alyssa divulged that both she and Justin habitually consumed meth in the presence of Jayla, even in the company of acquaintances. She admitted to witnessing Justin asphyxiate Jayla but refrained from intervening. The evening prior to Jayla's hospitalization, Amber informed them that their elder daughter was distressed because her father was strangling Jayla.
Alyssa continued her narrative, recounting an episode where she entered the bedroom with Justin and Jayla. Enraged by her presence, Justin held Jayla beneath her chin, applying pressure as Jayla cried out. He persisted until Jayla ceased her cries. Unperturbed, Amber departed for approximately 10 minutes, only to return and find Jayla sprawled across Justin's lap, her eyes rolled back, and convulsing. Justin reassured her, alleging that "all infants experience seizures."
Subsequently, Justin inserted an Altoids can into Jayla's mouth, purportedly moving it in and out, resulting in the loosening of several teeth. Despite friends advising them to seek medical attention upon witnessing Jayla's condition, Amber and Justin procrastinated, driven by the apprehension that Jayla would test positive for meth due to the household's drug habits.
Justin Edwards and Alyssa Haag faced charges for Jayla's demise, leading to their apprehension.
Justin received the maximum sentence of 128 months in prison, as permitted by law for his charges. Conversely, Alyssa confessed to neglecting the protection of her daughter, expressing contrition, but received a 2 ½-year prison sentence.
In the aftermath of Jayla's tragic demise, her father, Steven Watters, initiated legal action against the State of Texas. Despite reporting suspicions of maltreatment by Jayla's mother and her partner, the state failed to investigate. The State of Kansas similarly abstained from pursuing these allegations. In the lawsuit, Watters secured a $75,000 settlement.
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