Charges: Man responsible for death of toddler despite claims that boy died falling down stairs

Charges: Man responsible for death of toddler despite claims that boy died falling down stairs

(Salt Lake County Jail)


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TAYLORSVILLE — A child abuse case filed Friday alleges a Taylorsville man is criminally responsible for the death of his girlfriend's 19-month-old son last fall, despite the man's claims that the boy died from a fall down the stairs.

Colossal Teton, 33, is charged in 3rd District Court with child abuse homicide, a second-degree felony, in connection with the boy's death Nov. 1.

Unified police have identified the toddler as Greysen Rodriguez.

Teton initially told police he fell down the stairs at a Taylorsville home at 3323 W. 4960 South while carrying Greysen, which led to the fatal injuries, charges state. Teton later said he fell down the stairs twice with Greysen because of a "bum knee" that gave out, according to court documents.

"In a third interview with police, (Teton) admitted he was 'loopy' on drugs at that time, that he fell twice down the stairs with (Greysen) and that it wasn't because his knee gave out," the charges state.

A blood test performed on Teton allegedly indicated he had cocaine, alcohol and THC — the active ingredient in marijuana — in his system, in addition to various prescription substances.

A preliminary autopsy showed Greysen's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, court documents say. The autopsy revealed the boy had eight broken bones in his two forearms, a skull fracture, a jaw fracture and broken orbital bone, charges state. He also was allegedly also found to have suffered bleeding in both eyes, face and neck scratches, and bruising and swelling, among other injuries.

A child abuse pediatrician with Primary Children's Hospital reviewed Greysen's injuries and the circumstances allegedly leading up to them, including "a video reenactment of the alleged stair fall," court documents state.

"(The doctor) stated that several of the injuries were consistent with being caused by 'considerable' force, and that not all of those injuries could be explained by a stairway fall, because there would have been insufficient force to explain all the serious injuries," the charges state.

The doctor told police that fatal injuries from stair falls are extremely rare for young children and gave her opinion that Greysen's death was most likely the result of physical abuse. She reported that the boy also suffered a bruise on his cheek indicative of a "slap mark," court documents say.

The medical examiner who conducted the boy's autopsy agreed that a stair fall wasn't responsible for all of his injuries, according to the charges.

Several people were home at the time of the incident that took Greysen's life, including his mother, though charging documents don't list any eyewitness accounts.

Greysen's mother told police that "no one had hit or abused" Greysen and that he was "fine" and playing with toys earlier in the day, court documents say.

A warrant was issued Friday for Teton's arrest. Jail records indicate he remained out of custody Friday night.

Court records show Teton's long criminal history in Utah includes convictions for assault, attempted aggravated assault, domestic violence in the presence of a child, drug or alcohol-related reckless driving, retail theft and misdemeanor drug and drug paraphernalia possession.

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Ben Lockhart

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