Oklahoma Man Who Police Say Pushed Toddler, Causing His Death, Arrested

An Oklahoma man is accused of pushing a toddler down, causing the the boy to hit his head face first before dying the next day, according to ADA News.

Ryan Tyler Towell was arraigned on one count of first-degree murder and one count of child abuse that resulted in the death of the 3-year-old. His bond was set at $5 million, ADA News reported.

Stephens County Assistant District Attorney Cortnie Siess stated that Towell had been "preying on young victims." He allegedly took photos of the deceased 3-year-old with bruises all over his body.

According to ADA News, Towell also has a biological daughter whom he is not allowed to see because of a Department of Human Services case in which he would found to have shaken her.

When police arrived on scene Sept. 19, the 3-year-old was not breathing, according to police. One officer went to talk with Towell, who allegedly spanked the child after he peed his pants and then shoved the toddler the previous day, according to ADA News. According to police, Towell changed the word to "push" because it "sounded harsh."

According to police records, the push resulted in the child falling face first and hitting his head, ADA News reported. Police say Towell admitted to pushing the child to where he hit his head.

According to ADA News, Towell told police he did not check on the toddler as the child "laid on the floor for about three to four seconds crying" before getting up and going into his brother's room. On Sept. 19 around 9 a.m., Towell saw the toddler for the first time since the incident and noticed he was in the bathroom for about 30 minutes.

ADA News reported that Towell found the child on the toilet "slumped against the wall" and unresponsive. According to police, Towell attempted to perform CPR before calling 911.

The child died at the hospital at 5:26 p.m. Sept. 20.