COLUMBUS, OH – A mother is behind bars and facing murder charges after police said she violently threw her 9-month-old son across a room, resulting in injuries that led to the infant’s death.
Billie Jo Tustin, 30, was arrested Thursday in connection with her son’s fatal injuries. Authorities originally charged her with felonious assault; following the child’s death, those charges escalated to include aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, and endangering children.
First responders were called shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday to a residence on North 4th Street in the Italian Village neighborhood after receiving reports of an unresponsive baby. Medics immediately transported the boy in critical condition to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where doctors determined his injuries were not the result of an accident and notified police.
Police say they arrived at the home around 6:30 p.m. and found multiple adults present, along with another child, a 3-year-old girl. None of the other children were harmed.
Investigators allege that Tustin admitted to throwing her infant son across a 15-foot room, a distance that caused him to land on his head. The force and severity of the injuries prompted the case to be transferred to the department’s homicide unit. According to court records, Tustin also told police she had, on several occasions, thrown her son shorter distances, spanked him, and slapped him in the face out of frustration.
Emergency dispatch audio from the incident revealed Tustin reported that her son was not breathing, but it remains unclear how much time elapsed between the reported assault and the call for help.
Authorities confirmed that Franklin County Children Services has a previous history with Tustin and her family. Before Wednesday’s incident, officials said the mother was seeking to end her involvement with the agency. Tustin’s surviving daughter has since been placed into the custody of Children Services as the investigation continues.
Tustin is currently held without bond at the James A. Karnes Corrections Center. She is due in Franklin County Municipal Court for her arraignment on September 19.
Authorities have not released the names of other adults present at the time of the incident, and no information about legal representation for Tustin was immediately available.
The tragic death of the infant has shocked the Italian Village community and raised renewed concerns about support and oversight for families with prior involvement in county services. The investigation remains ongoing.