REMEMBERING BRYLEE

Brylee Grace Watson was only two months old. She had entered the world on November 9, 2009, and had barely begun her life when it was taken from her.

At two months old, Brylee could do nothing to protect herself. She depended completely upon the adults around her to feed her, hold her, comfort her and keep her safe. Instead, doctors would discover injuries throughout her tiny body. There was evidence that the violence against Brylee had not begun only on the night she was fatally injured. Her father later admitted seeing bruises on his daughter before that night and believing that he had caused them. Brylee lived for only 70 days. Those 70 days should have been the beginning of an entire lifetime.

BRYLEE’S STORY

On the night of January 15, 2010, Brylee’s mother was at work. Brylee and another young child were at home with their father, Jacob Lynn Watson. At approximately 10:45 p.m., emergency responders were called to the family's Midwest City home because Brylee was not breathing. Police began CPR. Brylee was rushed to OU Children’s Medical Center in Oklahoma City. Doctors quickly realized that what had happened to the two month old baby could not be explained by an ordinary accident.

Brylee had suffered nine fractures. Both of her arms were fractured. Both clavicles were fractured. Her right femur was fractured. Her ribs were fractured. Her skull was fractured. The injuries caused severe bleeding in her brain. Brylee was placed on life support. As investigators tried to determine what had happened, Jacob gave them a series of different explanations. He initially claimed he had put Brylee in her crib and later discovered that she was not breathing. Then he said he had been carrying her when he tripped over the family cat, dropped Brylee onto the concrete floor and fell on top of her. That story changed too. Jacob then claimed that two men had broken into the home, stolen money and attacked Brylee and the other child. Eventually, he admitted that the stories were false. According to investigators, Jacob admitted squeezing Brylee extremely tightly and shaking her. Police said he acknowledged that he had been upset about the deteriorating relationship with his wife and had taken his anger out on his infant daughter. The investigation also revealed evidence that Brylee may have been abused before the final assault. Jacob told a detective that he had previously seen bruises on Brylee and believed he had caused them. After suffering catastrophic injuries, Brylee remained on life support through the weekend. On Monday, January 18, 2010, two month old Brylee Grace Watson died at OU Children’s Medical Center.

WARNING SIGNS

The injuries found on Brylee raised serious concerns that the violence against her had begun before the assault that ultimately killed her. She had nine fractures throughout her body. The police investigation also uncovered Jacob’s own statements about earlier injuries. He acknowledged that he had seen bruises on Brylee before January 15 and believed he had caused them. He also described remembering occasions when he stood outside Brylee’s room while she cried and believed he had done something that caused her to cry. Brylee could not explain how she received a bruise. She could not tell anyone that she was afraid. She could not describe pain from a fractured bone. She was two months old. Her body was the only way the abuse could speak for her. By the time doctors were able to see the full extent of what had happened, Brylee had already suffered catastrophic injuries.

JUSTICE FOR BRYLEE

Jacob Lynn Watson was arrested after investigators determined that Brylee’s injuries were the result of abuse. He initially faced first degree murder charges. The case ultimately resulted in a murder conviction and a 30 year prison sentence. In February 2012, Jacob was sentenced to 30 years in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for killing his infant daughter. More than a decade later, reporting from inside the Oklahoma prison system confirmed that Jacob Watson remained incarcerated and was serving that 30 year sentence for murder.

Jacob Lynn Watson

Relationship to Brylee: Father
Conviction: Murder
Sentence: 30 years in prison

FOREVER REMEMBERED

Brylee Grace Watson had been alive for only 70 days. She should have been discovering faces and voices.She should have been learning the sound of her family. Soon there should have been rolling over, sitting up and crawling. Then first words. First steps. Birthdays. School. A childhood. Instead, doctors examining Brylee at two months old found nine fractures throughout her tiny body. The person responsible for protecting her admitted taking his anger out on her. None of that violence defines who Brylee was. She was a baby girl at the very beginning of life. She deserved gentle hands. She deserved comfort when she cried. She deserved to be safe in her own crib and in her own home. Seventy days was not enough. Brylee deserved an entire lifetime. Abuse Angels remembers Brylee Grace Watson. Remembered. Honored. Never Forgotten.