REMEMBERING BENSON

Benson Yooj Yim Xiong was only two months old. In the incredibly short time Benson was here, his family already knew pieces of his personality. Benson was a happy baby. He loved being held. And he smiled a lot. His family especially remembered how Benson would smile when someone tickled his little chin. Benson was the son of Heather Gardner and Jamie Xiong and had an older brother, Jaithyn. At two months old, his entire world should have been simple. Being fed. Being held. Sleeping safely.

Hearing familiar voices. Looking into the faces of the people who loved him. Benson had barely begun his life. He should have had years for his family to discover who that smiling little baby would become. Instead, the person entrusted to care for him would take his life.

 

BENSON'S STORY

On October 18, 2018, Benson and his older brother were left in the care of babysitter Marissa Tietsort in Wausau, Wisconsin. Benson was approximately two months old.

At some point while the children were in Tietsort's care, Benson suffered devastating injuries. He died from blunt-force trauma to his head. But what happened afterward made Benson's case especially horrifying. Tietsort did not call 911. She did not tell Benson's mother that her baby had died. Instead, according to the criminal case, Tietsort dressed Benson in a snowsuit and hat, placed his body into his car seat and buckled him inside. When Benson's mother returned, Tietsort handed the car seat containing her dead baby back to her without telling her what had happened. Benson's mother believed her son was sleeping. She left with her children. Only later did she realize something was terribly wrong. Benson was cold. His body was stiff. His lips and fingers had turned purple. His mother desperately attempted CPR while emergency services were called. But Benson had already been dead for hours. The happy little baby who loved being held was gone.

 

WARNING SIGNS & MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

One of the most troubling parts of Benson's case is what authorities already knew about Marissa Tietsort before October 18, 2018. Just days before Benson died, Tietsort had been charged in a separate child abuse case involving an 11 month old girl. Tietsort claimed that child had fallen from a couch. But the baby had significant injuries to her face, and a physician specializing in child abuse concluded that the injuries were inconsistent with the explanation Tietsort provided. On October 11, 2018, child abuse charges were filed against Tietsort. A court ordered her not to babysit young children while that case was pending. One week later, Benson was left in her care.

And Benson died. Benson's mother did not know about the court order. She did not know that Tietsort was already facing allegations of abusing another child. She believed she was leaving her two month old baby with someone who would keep him safe. Instead, Benson was placed with a caregiver who was already prohibited from caring for young children.

 

JUSTICE FOR BENSON

Marissa Tietsort was arrested following Benson's death. She initially faced a charge of first degree intentional homicide. Tietsort acknowledged that Benson had died while in her care but denied causing his death. She admitted that she did not attempt to resuscitate him and did not immediately seek emergency assistance. The criminal case continued for several years. Ultimately, Tietsort reached a plea agreement. In November 2021, she pleaded no contest to first-degree reckless homicide in Benson's death. She also pleaded no contest to child abuse in connection with the separate case involving the 11 month old girl. In March 2022, Tietsort was sentenced to decades in prison.

 

Marissa Tietsort
Relationship to Benson: Babysitter/caregiver
Conviction: First-degree reckless homicide
Sentence: 40 years of initial confinement, followed by extended supervision

 

FOREVER REMEMBERED

Benson Yooj Yim Xiong lived for only two months. It is almost impossible to comprehend how much life should have existed beyond those two months. There should have been a first Christmas he could remember. A first birthday. First steps. First words. School. Friends.Teenage years. Adulthood. There should have been years for Benson and his older brother to grow up together.  There should have been thousands more times for someone to tickle Benson underneath his little chin just to see that smile. Instead, his family was given only weeks. But even in those few weeks, Benson left them with something worth preserving. They knew that he was happy. They knew that he loved being held. And they knew exactly how to make him smile. Those details matter because Benson's life should never be remembered only for the horrifying way it ended. He was not simply the baby whose body was concealed inside a snowsuit. He was Benson. He was somebody's son. Somebody's little brother.

A tiny baby who already recognized comfort and affection and responded to the people around him with a smile. His name was Benson Xiong. Abuse Angels remembers Benson Yooj Yim Xiong the happy little baby who loved being held and whose family could bring out his beautiful smile simply by tickling his little chin. We remember Benson. We speak his name. And Benson will not be forgotten.