Police: Toddler beaten to death over potty training incident

LAYTON, Utah -- A mother and her boyfriend will likely face child abuse homicide charges after a 2-year-old boy was beaten to death.

That 2-year-old boy was taken off life support on Monday and died, ABC affiliate KTVX reports. Police believe he was beaten by his mother's boyfriend.

Both Jasmine Bridgeman, 23, and Joshua Schoenenberger, 34, are in jail facing charges in the toddler's death. Both told police different stories about what happened, but police believe the beating was the result of a potty-training incident.

"(Bridgeman) told police Joshua got upset with (toddler) over potty training issues. Specifically that he had pooped in his diaper," Layton police Lieutenant Travis Lyman said.

Police say the couple became furious, and court documents say Schoenenberger took the toddler's diaper off and began smearing the contents in the young boy's face.

Bridgeman then went outside to smoke a cigarette as Schoenenberger began beating the child, police say.

"The biological mother did allow significant amount of abuse to go on without intervening, but also engaged in it herself," said Lyman. "She admitted that she lied several times in an attempt to conceal what events actually took place at the home."

Hospital records obtained by KUTV show the child had internal bleeding and bruising to his legs, groin, arms and head. Other family members say they had reported suspected child abuse to police in the past, but no charges were ever filed.