MANDERSON, WY- A Wyoming woman and her father are under arrest in connection with the death of a two-month-old baby last month, court documents showed.
KTVQ News reports that Destynie Study, 22, and her father, Travis Study, are facing charges of child endangerment in connection with the death of her infant child. A 15-month-old child living in the camper they shared was unharmed, authorities said.
Destynie Study told police she woke up at 9:45 a.m. on July 6 and found her infant daughter unresponsive. She claimed she drove the child to Three Rivers Health in Basin, WY, and called 911 along the way. The facility is located approximately 11 miles from the camper.
When investigators interviewed the mother, they observed a strong smell of body odor, feces, and urine emanating from her. They also observed she was covered in dirt and had noticeable dandruff or lice on her scalp.
In addition to the mother, the infant was seen with dirt under her fingernails, and she had a diaper saturated with urine. Authorities also saw a small insect moving inside the diaper as it was being removed from the infant’s body.
Police seized a phone from Destynie at the hospital for evidence. An arrest warrant affidavit said that Travis Study was calling his daughter at the time and told her he was “unsure as to what might happen” if anyone with a badge or gun showed up at his home; “it would be a bad day for that individual.”
Authorities entered the home on July 6 and conducted a search and discovered the camper had the same odor of feces and urine. There was also a five-gallon bucket filled with waste sitting in the bathroom.
Police said the baby’s crib was wet and smelled of urine.
Investigators also seized 21 grams of suspected marijuana, marijuana paraphernalia, and a glass pipe with residue that tested positive for methamphetamine. The sample was submitted to the Wyoming State Crime Lab for further analysis.
The temperature inside the camper was determined to be 95 degrees, and the air conditioning and sewage systems were inoperable, and there was no running water.
The arrest affidavit noted that Destynie Study told them that her father assists with the children and is “the sole custodian and provides care for them when she is gone from the residence.”
The investigation is headed by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigations. (DCI)
According to court records, the Wyoming Department of Family Services and the Manderson Police Department have contacted the family four times since April.
The outlet interviewed several community members in Manderson who expressed concern over why family services had not intervened in the case sooner. None consented to having their identification revealed by the outlet.
Cowboy State Daily said when caseworkers and police attempted to make contact at the home in June, Travis Study told them to “get the f*ck off his property and never come back.”
Travis Study was charged with felony child endangerment due to exposure to methamphetamine, and misdemeanor counts of reckless endangering, child endangerment, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of marijuana. He is being held at the Big Horn County Detention Center on a $75,000 cash bond.
At his arraignment last week, Big Horn prosecuting attorney Marcia Bean spoke out in opposition to a bail reduction, citing his prior criminal history and adding that conditions in the trailer were “some of the worst conditions law enforcement had seen.”
Meanwhile, Destynie Study was charged with misdemeanor counts of reckless endangering of a child and child endangerment. She entered a plea of not guilty during an arraignment hearing in July.
The infant’s cause of death has still not been released by the coroner’s office, and the charges could be upgraded depending on that determination.
Destynie Study’s trial date is currently scheduled for Dec. 8, while Travis Study’s trial is expected to be scheduled in the next 180 days (about 6 months).
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