Tulsa Couple Arrested for Allegedly Abusing 3-year-old Child, Boyfriend Admits to Beating Toddler

A Tulsa couple was arrested for child abuse on Tuesday. Ryllie James Gage, 26, was arrested for two counts of child abuse by harm. Christina Richerson, 27, was charged with one count of aiding child abuse via injury.

According to an affidavit, Tulsa Police were summoned to Saint Francis Hospital on September 18 after DHS reported a 3-year-old with substantial bruising consistent with child abuse.

Gage and Richerson were interviewed in the hospital. Richerson’s boyfriend, Gage, resided with her and the child in a west Tulsa apartment, according to the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, the youngster had substantial bruising on his face, head, neck, ears, and buttocks. A doctor with expertise in child abuse acknowledged that the injuries were consistent with physical child abuse.

According to the affidavit, Gage informed officers that he lost his patience with the child because she wouldn’t stop sobbing. He acknowledged to beating the youngster repeatedly on the face and head, as well as smacking the child’s buttocks several times. He informed authorities that the boy screamed and cried while he hit him. This happened on September 16 at an apartment in West Tulsa.

Gage allegedly admitted to police that he had previously wounded the boy, claiming that the child would not stop running about the apartment, so he purposefully tripped him and caused him to fall, according to the affidavit. When the boy fell, he was unable to brace himself quickly enough, and his nose struck the ground, causing it to hemorrhage and bruising under his eyes.

Gage told Tulsa Police that he informed Richerson that the child had fallen by accident and that there were photos of the damage. Police discovered images of the boy with a nose injury and bruising beneath his eyes on Richerson’s mobile, which corresponded to Gage’s account. The photographs included a time stamp dated May 29, according to the affidavit.

According to an affidavit, Richerson told officers she noticed the bruises on the boy the night of September 16 and watched them worsen the next morning before dropping him off at daycare.

Richerson informed police. Gage explained that the injuries were from a tumble on playground equipment.

The statement stated that given the quantity of covering on both sides of the child’s head and neck, a reasonable person would not believe the bruises were caused by a single fall on playground equipment.

According to the affidavit, daycare personnel immediately assumed the injuries were the result of child abuse and contacted DHS when Richerson dropped the child off.

According to the affidavit, when officers first spoke with Richerson, she stated she didn’t have a boyfriend and denied being in any intimate relationship. She denied living with anyone other than the child and claiming that no one other than herself and the daycare watched the child.

Richerson also first claimed police she was the one who took the boy to the park and watched him fall from the playground equipment, resulting in his bruises, according to the affidavit. She then admitted that Gage took the child to the playground and informed her that the youngster had fallen.

According to the affidavit, Richerson was texting someone while speaking with officers. Tulsa Police got a search warrant for her smartphone and discovered she had been messaging Gage to coordinate lies she was stating, such as that he resided in Bixby and was not with her and the child.

Richerson admitted lying about Gage’s contact with the child, according to the affidavit. She stated that she did so because Gage begged her not to include him in the probe.

According to criminal filings, investigators discovered that Gage and Richerson purposefully harmed the 3-year-old child at least twice.

Gage and Richerson were detained on Tuesday and sent to the Tulsa County Jail.

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Tulsa couple arrested for child abuse