Police in Virginia are investigating after a 3-year-old boy was reportedly found dead inside a dryer at his father’s home a day after his birthday.
Chet Lloyd told The Virginian Pilot that he awoke early evening on August 7 to find that his son, Brantley Lloyd, had climbed out of his crib and into a clothes dryer. Brantley’s mother, Amanda Ray, told the newspaper that Chet called her that evening and instructed her to get to his house at once.
The mother told the newspaper that she didn’t understand how this could have happened.
“It doesn’t make sense to me,” the late toddler’s mother said. “Nothing is adding up. I don’t understand how my baby was in a dryer. I don’t understand how he died.”
The boy’s father reportedly said Brantley was in a bad mood on his birthday, August 6, throwing tantrums and refusing to take a nap while at day care. Ray, the boy’s mother, said they were going to have dinner as a family but Chet and Brantley never showed up.
Ray and her two children had lived with Chet and Brantley for two years until their breakup in 2017. She was reportedly living nearby with her two children at the time of Brantley’s death.
Chet claimed he tried to take Brantley out that night but he “wasn’t being himself” and wouldn’t calm down.
Chet told The Pilot that he drove around until Brantley fell asleep and had got pizza for the two of them at some point. He said the toddler had another tantrum after waking up as he brought him into the home.
The father claimed he let Brantley sleep on the couch for a bit before putting him in his crib.
Chet said he then started doing laundry.
Chet said he woke up late the next day and didn’t go to work because he had been up all night with Brantley. When he awoke, he reportedly didn’t find his son in his crib.
He claimed he found Brantley in the dryer and took him into the living room to resuscitate him and call 911. The call was placed after 5 p.m., according to the Pilot.
The Virginia Beach Police Department said Brantley died sometime between 5:30 a.m. and 4:55 p.m.
“He was unresponsive and covered in sweat and extremely hot,” Chet told the newspaper. “I don’t know if he panicked and couldn’t get out. He had asthma.”
The medical examiner told WTKR that Brantley’s cause and manner of death are currently pending.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the child’s death, and have not released the boy’s name.
Chet was reportedly evicted from his home a week after his son’s death. Many of the father and son’s possessions were spotted on the front porch, according to The Pilot.
[Featured image: Brantley Lloyd/Facebook]