Okmulgee Woman Arrested For Child Abuse

The Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office says a woman is behind bars on complaints of child abuse.

Deputies began investigating the suspicious death of a two-year-old child on Monday, July 16 with the assistance of the District 25 Violent Crime Task Force. According to an affidavit, the child's step-mother Brenda Clark found the child and an ambulance rushed him to the hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. The medical examiner found multiple bruises, a fractured rib, and a fractured skull.

"Right as we started looking into it we got a call from the ME's office," said Okmulgee County Sgt. Aaron Swayze. "The M.E. informed us of some injuries that the child had that were consistent with child abuse." 

Clark was interviewed by deputies and confessed to the abuse. Court documents say that Clark could not or would not explain what led to the child's death, but she did tell investigators that she had hit the child on two separate occasions with a belt. She told investigators "she had gone too far when she hit him."

Investigators say Clark has shown no remorse in what the Sheriff's office is calling a very serious child abuse case. 

"There's times like this case, for instance, it's hard to get it off your mind it's a defenseless two-year-old, the children really bother anybody that's got a heart," said Sgt. Swayze.

Clark was arrested on a complaint of Child Abuse with Injury. She was booked into Okmulgee County Jail, with bond set at $100,000.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the cause of death is still under investigation and Clark could face more charges if the injuries are determined to have caused the child’s death. 

"Further charges could be coming right now she admitted to the child abuse so that's where we're at now," said Sgt. Swayze.