Man charged with homicide in death of Stowe toddler

Police charged a Stowe man with homicide on Friday in connection with the death of a 2-year-old girl the day prior.

Kyrell Morgan, 19, is also charged with child endangerment in the death of Brielle Olivia Swinton.

Stowe police said they arrived at the home on Woodward Avenue about 3:45 a.m. Thursday where they found 2-year-old Brielle Olivia Swinton on the floor and not breathing. She was taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital where she died just after 5 a.m.

According to the criminal complaint, paramedics had noted a large bruise across the girl’s abdomen, and an autopsy showed her liver had been lacerated. Allegheny County Medical Examiner Dr. Karl Williams said it appeared as though someone had squeezed the girl from behind, according to the complaint, and she would have died slowly after the injury.

He estimated she’d been injured 12 to 16 hours before her death.

Police said Morgan, who was dating the child’s mother, watched over the girl from early morning Wednesday while her mother was at work. He left around 2 p.m. for his shift at a nearby gas station. When investigators went to question Morgan, he was hiding in a crawlspace at his girlfriend’s father’s home, according to the complaint.

Morgan told investigators that the toddler had been sick while he was watching over her, and she had vomited several times, according to the complaint. He said he did not see the bruise until paramedics arrived.

The girl’s mother said the child was acting normally when she got up for work about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, though Morgan began texting her throughout the day that she was sick, according to the complaint.

Another child who was in the home told investigators the girl had been ill and had trouble standing when she was given a bath, police wrote. The child said Morgan was screaming and smacking the girl each time she closed her eyes in the bathtub.

Morgan is charged with one count of homicide and one count of child endangerment.

He was denied bail and remains in the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh. Court records did not list an attorney for Morgan. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14.