The family of a Missouri infant wants justice after they say the boyfriend of his mother, Bessie McCamish, abused him. Jordan Boggess allegedly abused 9-month-old Waylon but told police he dropped him and then bear-hugged the baby to stop him from crying. Staff transferred Waylon to a Kansas City hospital for treatment of critical injuries. Sadly, his family claims he will not fully recover.
The alleged abuse reportedly took place on September 15 in the town of Granby. Waylon briefly stayed in a Joplin hospital before being moved to Kansas City. Today, the family hopes that sharing Waylon’s story will help prevent a similar tragedy for another child.
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McCamish reportedly put Waylon in a jumper prior to the abuse.
Waylon’s mother reportedly told police she put him into the jumper while she went to use the bathroom, per KY3. A short time later, Waylon allegedly threw up and began to cry. According to Boggess, he threw the baby up in the air but dropped him because he had “sweaty hands.” Waylon reportedly began to cry, so Boggess claimed he “bear-hugged” the infant until he stopped screaming.
Waylon’s family isn’t buying the story.
Jaden Branham, Waylon’s cousin, told KY3 she doesn’t believe Boggess. “As a mom, if my child is throwing up, I’m not going to pick him up and toss him up in the air thinking that’s going to help out in any scenario,” she said.
Branham said when the family got to Freeman Hospital in Joplin, staff apparently realized they had a child abuse case on their hands. Waylon reportedly had suspicious bruising on his head.
Waylon’s life will never be the same.
Sadly, his grandmother, Christa Newman, told KY3 that even if Waylon gets out of the hospital, his life is forever changed.
“They said baby Waylon will not be the same baby. If he makes it, He’ll be wheelchair-bound. He will not be able to talk. He will not be able to feed himself,” she said.
In a separate interview, Waylon’s father, Tyler Banbridge, said, “As of right now that we know of, he cannot see. He can’t sit up. He can barely lift his head up. He’s going to have to have a lot of physical therapy.”
Branham created a GoFundMe account for Waylon.
Branham said seeing Waylon in critical condition broke her heart, according to KY3. “Whenever you walk into his room, it’s just machine after machine,” Branham said. “There’s IV pumps everywhere. There’s a nurse in the room at all times. It’s very gut-wrenching walking in and seeing a child literally have to fight for their life.
“These are children, and they deserve to live normal, carefree lives, not having to worry about being scared of who they’re with,” she added. “And unfortunately, he was not. He was not able to do that.”
So far, she’s raised $1,350 for Burbridge to use for Waylon’s family.
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Boggess will appear in court in December.
According to online records, Boggess has a court appearance scheduled for December 13.
The boy’s mother released a statement to KY3 about Waylon. McCamish shared, “Waylon was discharged from the hospital on October 24. He went home with his mom. Our main focus is on Waylon, on him recovering, and on him striving to get stronger!”
