A Joplin man has told authorities he was upset at his girlfriend’s children for making a mess when he threw an 18-month-old girl onto a bed, where she bounced and struck a table. He says she fell off a table seven hours later, hitting her chest and head before losing consciousness.
24-year-old Bryant Sykes is charged with first-degree assault and could face stronger charges if the girl does not survive. She is on a respirator in a Kansas City hospital.
The mother’s other two children, ages 2 and 3, have been removed from the home and placed in protective custody.