ELK CITY, Okla. (KFOR) – An Elk City man who surrendered at the Beckham County Sheriff’s Office Friday night faces a charge of first-degree murder for the death of a two-year-old child who succumbed to “massive” head injuries.
“Very sad situation,” said Elk City Police Chief Eddie Holland.
In far West Oklahoma, the Elk City Police Department has made strides in a case involving the death of a toddler. They issued an arrest warrant for suspicion of first-degree murder Friday for 24-year-old Troy Justice Jones, just hours after two-year-old Benji was pronounced dead.
Holland said a 9-1-1 medical call came in from an Elk City home. The caller stated an ambulance was needed. Paramedics then rushed to the scene.
“They were told that the child had fallen and suffered massive injuries to the head,” Holland said.
Benji was rushed to a nearby hospital, where it soon became apparent that he would need more care. The little boy was flown to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center in Oklahoma City, where doctors worked to keep him alive for a day and a half. However, Benji died from his injuries on Friday morning.
“We’re investigating the nature of the injuries, how they were sustained,” Holland said.
A family member KFOR spoke to said that Jones is the boyfriend of Benji’s mother, and that Jones had disappeared shortly after the boy was injured. Friday night, just a few hours after a warrant was issued for his arrest, Jones turned himself in to the Beckham County Sheriff’s Office.
“It’s a very important case to the community that involves an injury of a child; it’s very important to us,” Holland said. “So, we’re going to do the best we can to find the truth.”
Holland said the investigation is ongoing at this time. The family member who spoke to KFOR said that Benji was “truly special and always smiling and happy.”
