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http://www.keyetv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/updated-cedar-park-police-searching-child-missing-since-july-20745.shtml
Cedar Park Police Searching for Child Missing Since July
Updated: Thursday, September 11 2014, 11:14 PM CDT

(http://i.imgur.com/3BrBKs9.jpg) (http://imgur.com/3BrBKs9)
(Photos from the Cedar Park Police Department.)

(http://i.imgur.com/VoQMXpJs.jpg) (http://imgur.com/VoQMXpJ)
(Previous booking photo from the Williamson County Sheriff's Office.)

UPDATE: Police say the mother of the child -- identified as 20-year-old Meagan Work (pictured below) -- is being charged with abandonment/endangerment of a child, a third degree felony. Investigators say Work is homeless and living out of a car, but was found at a Cedar Park address. Police say they don't know where the child was last seen and Work is giving inconsistent information. Brandt's disappearance does not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert because a child has to be kidnapped or abducted, police say. Investigators say Brandt's Father has been interviewed, but could give no details.


EARLIER: Cedar Park police say they are searching for a child believed to be a victim of child abuse missing since July. Investigators say Cedar Park Police received yesterday a welfare concern of a child call. Officers were able to locate the child's mother, but not the child. Detectives say the child was last seen by people other than the child's mother in July.
 ::snipping3::
 They say the child's mother is providing inconsistent details of the whereabouts of the child and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. Colton Brandt Turner, 2, is described as a white male, 3'0" tall, 30 lbs, with blond hair and green eyes. He may have a black and purple blanket with him, police say. Cedar Park police say they are working in conjunction with the FBI in this case.

http://kxan.com/2014/09/11/fbi-searching-for-missing-cedar-park-boy/
FBI searching for missing Cedar Park boy
Published September 11, 2014, Updated September 12, 2014

 ::snipping3::
Authorities believe Colton is in immediate danger, and Work is providing inconsistent details about his whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. Work has been taken into custody and is facing charges of abandoning and endangering a child.

“She’s being charged because she doesn’t have custody of her own child,” Asst. Chief Mike Harmon said. “I don’t know too many parents out there that haven’t seen their child since July 2014, and don’t know the whereabouts of it.”

Work pleaded guilty in May 2013 to assault causing bodily injury. She was also arrested in 2012 for cruelty to livestock animals.

Colton’s father has also been interviewed and questioned, but police provided no further information about what they may have learned from him.

Cedar Park police say they are working with the FBI to find Colton. He has blond hair and green eyes and may have a black and purple blanket with him. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Police cannot confirm whether or not Colton was abducted. Because of that, an Amber Alert was not issued since the boy’s disappearance does not meet the necessary criteria at this time.

Driving from  Cedar Park, TX to the area near Burleson Rd. in Austin, TX is just over half an hour.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/police-searching-se-austin-for-evidence-in-missing/nhLgL/
Police searching SE Austin for evidence in missing boy case
September 12, 2014


Austin police and other authorities are collecting evidence in Southeast Austin near Burleson Road and Felter Lane after receiving “credible information” in the case of a missing Cedar Park boy.
Cedar Park police announced Thursday night that they had been searching for 2-year-old Colton Brandt Turner after someone called authorities concerned about his welfare.
Police arrested the boy’s mother, 20-year-old Meagan Work, at a Cedar Park house Wednesday night. Investigators plan to charge her with child abandonment and endangerment in connection with the boy’s disappearance, Mike Harmon, an assistant Cedar Park police chief, said Thursday. Work has provided “inconsistent” stories about her son, he said.
Authorities requested STAR Flight’s help looking for the boy from the air Friday morning. The helicopter took off around 8:33 a.m. and landed about an hour later.
In a statement, Austin police said the investigation into this case spans multiple jurisdictions.
 ::snipping3::

http://kxan.com/2014/09/12/apd-fbi-cedar-park-investigating-in-southeast-austin/
FBI, police searching for missing 2-year-old boy from Cedar Park
Published: September 12, 2014, 7:46 am    Updated: September 12, 2014, 11:11 am

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police set up their command post in Southeast Austin just before 11 a.m. Friday. A source tells KXAN that investigators are following up on “strong” leads into the case of a missing 2-year-old boy from Cedar Park, Colton Brandt Turner.

FBI investigators arrived in Southeast Austin around 9:40 a.m. Friday, where STARFlight crews say they were searching for Colton. After searching from 8:30 a.m. to 9:20 a.m., STARFlight crews returned to the hangar — though they would not say if they found anything in the area they combed through.
“The Austin Police Department received credible information in reference to a missing persons case involving the missing child from Cedar Park,” said Austin Police Department spokeswoman Anna Sabana. “This is a multijurisdictional investigation, and our Missing Persons Unit — along with other units — are actively working at collecting evidence in Southeast Austin near Burleson Road/Felter Lane. When appropriate, additional information will be provided, but at this time it’s a fluid investigation, so we are asking for your patience.”

Austin police earlier Friday morning told KXAN that they were working with the FBI and Cedar Park police in that area. Officers cordoned off the area with crime scene tape, as STARFlight flew overhead with what appeared to be an ******* taking advantage of the aerial perspective at the scene, which is near an auto repair shop and Hot Bodies men’s club. Officers escorted in crime scene technicians.

Officers appear to be walking into a fenced-off wooded area, which apparently have no homes, according to people who work on this street.

 ::snipping3::
Police received a call about 6:20 p.m. Wednesday concerned about Colton’s welfare. Cedar Park officers were able to find his mother, 20-year-old Meagan Work, but did not find Colton. Police say Work has been living out of her car for the last several months. Officers found her outside a Cedar Park home but would not say who alerted them to her whereabouts.

Investigators determined the last time the boy was seen with people other than his mother was in July.

Authorities believe Colton is in immediate danger, and Work is providing inconsistent details about his whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. Work has been taken into custody and is facing charges of abandoning and endangering a child.

Colton’s mom used to work at Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill off Interstate 35 and St. Johns Avenue, where a manager told KXAN that the corporate office would be sending out a statement soon. Work’s Facebook page indicted she began working there in October 2013, though she only worked there for six months.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/11/two-year-old-cedar-park-boy-missing/15474501/
Police search for missing toddler in Southeast Austin
September 12, 2014

 ::snipping3::
Police received a call around 6:20 p.m. Wednesday regarding a welfare concern of a child. Cedar Park police officers found the child's mother, but not the child.

Police said the child was last seen around July 2014. Police said they believe Turner is in immediate danger, and that the child's mother is providing "inconsistent details" about his whereabouts and details about his disappearance.

"Not knowing where the child is. The mother not knowing who has the child, where the child is, what the welfare of the child is. That's what makes us believe that [the child is in danger]," said Cedar Park Assistant Police Chief Mike Harmon.

Detectives said the person who called police saw pictures the boy's father posted of him on Facebook, showing him with cuts and bruises. KVUE spoke with Turner's father on Facebook. He said the last time he had seen his son way May 30. When Turner's mother disappeared, he tried to find them and contacted police then. He said a family member recently shared the photos of Turner's cuts and bruises, and he immediately shared them with police.

In a press conference on Thursday, police said the boy's mother, 20-year-old Meagan Work, is homeless and will be charged with endangering a child and abandoning a child, both third-degree felonies. She told investigators she last saw Turner in July. She and her son were living out of her car.

A search of Williamson County Jail records showed that Work has a criminal history, including charges of animal cruelty and assault. Detectives also said Work has a history with Child Protective Services, but did not go into further detail.
 ::snipping3::
The Cedar Park Police Department and the FBI are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/26517296/breaking-news-search-for-colton-turner
Breaking News: Search for Colton Turner
September 12, 2014

Right now, a massive police presence is on Felter Lane near Burleson Road in Southeast Austin.

Multiple Crime Scene Units are in the wooded area behind an auto body shop.

Investigators are searching the area in connection to missing 2 yr old, Colton Turner.

The 2 yr old hasn't been seen since July.
 ::snipping3::

Photos/slide show of general search area

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/police-searching-se-austin-for-evidence-in-missing/nhLgL/
Police bring in digging tools as search for missing boy continues
Updated: 11:19 a.m. Friday, Sept. 12, 2014 | Posted: 10:02 a.m. Friday, Sept. 12, 2014

11:15 a.m. update: Police have arrived with digging tools at a field in Southeast Austin as the search continues for a missing 2-year-old boy.
Members of the Austin and Cedar Park police departments, along with FBI personnel, are at the scene near Felter Lane, which is near Burleson Road and McKinney Falls Parkway.
Family and friend standing near a police barricade say they last saw Colton Brandt Turner on the Fourth of July. Two of the women are talking and crying.
Sergio Avila, who mows the grass at the site, said he’s seen nothing unusual but that he last mowed the field in late July.

 ::snipping3::

September 12, 2014 Tweets
https://twitter.com/ciaraorourke (https://twitter.com/ciaraorourke)

Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  4m
She and another family friend just got into a patrol car to tell police information. She said she's been trying to reach them since Thurs.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  6m
Another family friend said Colton is always well-behaved. Said she would be "so upset if," then stopped.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  11m
EMS has arrived at the scene where police are looking for Colton Turner.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  40m
Austin and Cedar Park police chiefs just left the scene where authorities are searching for 2-year-old Colton Turner.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  48m
Austin police, Cedar Park police and an FBI evidence response team are here.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  50m
Austin police chief @ArtAcevedo recently arrived where police are looking for Colton. Buckets and digging tools are visible in the distance.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  59m
The area where police are looking for Colton is by a glass warehouse, auto shop and a "gentleman's club" that offers valet free 7 p.m.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  1h
Family friends standing near the police barricade say they last saw Colton on the Fourth of July. Two women are talking, crying.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  1h
Avila said he hasn't mowed since late July, the month Turner, 2, was last seen. Avila says tall grass but few trees where police are now.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  1h
At a field and woods where police are searching for Colton Turner. Sergio Avila, who mows the grass here, said he's seen nothing unusual.


 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  4h
Cedar Park police arrest the mother of a 2-year-old boy who was last seen in July and has a history of abuse: http://shar.es/11ToCi

https://www.facebook.com/meagan.work.5

Here's her facebook

September 12, 2014 Tweets
https://twitter.com/missingcases (https://twitter.com/missingcases)

MissingCases.com @MissingCases  ·  10m
#FindColton #ColtonTurner #SearchForColton dad convicted of vicious assault on disabled teen

https://www.facebook.com/missingcases/photos/a.394304277256579.91039.212865135400495/933514093335592/?type=1&relevant_count=1 (this disappeared... Muffy)
(http://i.imgur.com/nLQNsLT.png) (http://imgur.com/nLQNsLT)


http://www.hillcountrynews.com/news/article_d68dd0ce-1bad-11e1-966f-001cc4c03286.html#user-comment-area
Third Cedar Park attacker pleads guilty in disabled teen's beating
Posted: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 5:34 pm | Updated: 5:53 pm, Wed Nov 30, 2011.
(http://i.imgur.com/AjtuUxH.jpg) (http://imgur.com/AjtuUxH)

CEDAR PARK - An 18-year-old Cedar Park man became the third person to plead guilty in the September assault of a mentally disabled teen.
Brandon Lee Pelfrey was senteneced to four years in prison by a Williamson County District Judge.
In early November, two more of the five people arrested in the assault were also sentenced to four years in prison after they pleaded guilty.
Judge Burt Carnes convicted Pelfry and sentenced him to four years in prison, even though he was eligible for probation.
Pelfrey followed the lead of Tyler James Bracamontez, 17, and Markus Ole Mathis, 21.
Two juveniles were also detained. Their cases are being handled by the county attorney's office, according to District Attorney John Bradley.
On September 3, 2011, Cedar Park police investigated a report that Griffith had been attacked by several individuals. He was found in torn clothing and with an "L" drawn on his forehead. He had cuts and bruising on his body, along with a cigarette burn. He also reported being choked to unconsciousness.
 ::snipping3::

Folks are trying to remove things from the net...

September 12, 2014
https://twitter.com/missingcases (https://twitter.com/missingcases)

Retweeted 60 times
 MissingCases.com ‏@MissingCases  2h
RT #FindColton 2 y/o #ColtonTurner #abuse victim last seen July 2014 mom never reported him #missing #SearchForColton
 pic.twitter.com/JQMR0RuEYV (http://pic.twitter.com/JQMR0RuEYV)

(http://i.imgur.com/8KKGe1L.png) (http://imgur.com/8KKGe1L)

I have no idea what is true or not true in this case. I don't know if the folks posting are who they say they are etc.   I've posted some of the comments that are posted at the end of the article.  It's up to individuals to decide what is and isn't imo.  I really, really fear for the well being of Colton Turner.  It doesn't sound good for him, but I'm praying for a miracle he can be found safe.

http://kxan.com/2014/09/11/fbi-searching-for-missing-cedar-park-boy/
FBI searching for missing Cedar Park boy
September 12, 2014

Comments
K.O. • a minute ago
Williamson County, CPS, Probation, come on, they drop the ball all the time. Bottom line is there is a missing child here, grow the F _ _ _ up and quit blaming each other, get the info out there, and just make it happen. Do whatever it takes to find this little boy. I am once again amazed at our society and how we always seem to put blame on the Father for something or other, they are a FATHER, and why do they not have equal rights from day one? In many cases, they are far better than the Mother who sits back and collects those child support checks and has nothing to have to prove as to how that child is being taken care of......................no wonder so many dads take the law into their own hands or kidnap their children, its sometimes the childs only chance to have a decent life, Come on people, stop the blame game and simply pray this precious little boy is found safe !!!!
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Tabatha Dawdy • 15 hours ago
Just putting this out there to everyone who believes my cousin Brandon col tons father had anything to do with his dissapearance. A month ago he began trying to tea k him down on his own under the belief Meagan just didn't want to see him and so was keeping colton from him. When he couldn't track her down two weeks ago after receiving g messages of concern from a mutual friend he called burnet PD and tried to file a report. Because he was believed to be with his mother they told him they would file the report and to contact with any additional info. Two days later he called to tell them he knew where she would be that night. They said no report had been filed and none would be because it was not an emergency. Sin e the. He has called the center for missing and exploited children who could do nothing g without a police report. So he continued begging the police to make the report and they refused. Then he received some desterbing pix of colton that were taken in jul. Again he tried to involve the police to no avail until he spoke with caps after the report and then he found out where they could find Meagan that night and informed them.
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Anonymous  Tabatha Dawdy • 13 hours ago
I work for law enforcement and there's holes in the story. They write a report on such circumstances and follow up regardless of the situation. You shouldn't post things as such until you're 110% certain on facts and the statements you're making.
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Anonymous  Tabatha Dawdy • 13 hours ago
So the father knew the potential whereabouts of the mother and child but didn't follow up himself to see where she was? If that were my child I would be searching night and day. Blowing up 911 until they either listened to me or arrested me for abuse of 911..... At least they heard me! I would have gone where baby mama was that night and gone batsh!t crazy until I found my son!!! Something isn't right and both parents know more than what's being said.
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TLE  Anonymous • 9 hours ago
Pelfrey was posting on Work's FB page on September 8th.
Take a look at both of their pages...
From her response he apparently knew that she was prego!!!
Something isn't right AND somebody KNOWS where Colton is...
Do the RIGHT thing and help authorities find him.
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Jen Pink  TLE • 6 hours ago
Exactly. He was commenting on other posts, too, seemingly unconcerned about where his baby was.
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Amanda Fay  TLE • an hour ago
yeah and he's deleted those posts. suspicious, much? btw, authorities can back-search things like that, so nice try 'deleting evidence'....
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TLE  Tabatha Dawdy • 9 hours ago
Here you say it was Burnet PD and on FB you say it was Bertram PD.
Please clarify which PD was it that Brandon contacting?
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Amanda Fay  Tabatha Dawdy • an hour ago
his page says she's a deadbeat and her page says that he doesn't want to see his kid. there are 2 sides to everything and you posting this to "prove" his innocence just makes it more suspicious. somebody just needs to bring this baby to the authorities. he doesn't deserve this.
1  • Reply•Share ›
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no name  Tabatha Dawdy • 3 hours ago
This is not information that should be made public.
You may be hurting the legal process by trying to assert someones innocence. You should take this down.
1  • Reply•Share ›
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Sammi • 14 hours ago
Honestly the whole thing is suspicious. If they have mutual friends you would think your "friend" would tell you if your ex and little boy are sleeping in a car. FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. And why they hell did his "friend" send him pictures and not call the cops on the spot with the photos he has posted on fb? Hell sorry to say this but I would have lied to the cops, that boy would have been out of her hands. Now you just posted this comment to "defend" him. That he's been looking for her for a month yet on Megan's fb she posted Monday about going to the doctors bc she's pregnant, Brandon commented "wow" on this and she told him to message her. He's had the pictures for two weeks and couldn't come up with a lie or anything to convince the police to move? Cps? Dps? Nothing? Sorry your defense of him doesn't sound very convincing. She on the other hand should never get to see a kid again or the light of day. If she caused the harm in the photos he shared I hope she gets it ten fold. AFTER SHE HAS THE CHILD SHE IS PREGNANT WITH! I'm praying for this little boy, I really pray he is found safe and sound....
27  • Reply•Share ›
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Anonymous  Sammi • 13 hours ago
I agree 100!! He knows more than he's telling. Cousin is posting to defend him in the long run but on evidence and facts will make the proof.
8  • Reply•Share ›
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Nathaniel  Sammi • 13 hours ago
I wish i wasnt related to this situation, but if i could i would help. Knowing you cant makes you feel horrible. I had known the kid personally and he really was a hopeful sight to see. Plus CPS doesnt do crud, they said several CPS calls were made AND NOTHING HAPPENED. That house is full of drugs! WTH!!!
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Amanda Fay  Nathaniel • an hour ago
who's house? the dad's? because she was supposedly homeless.....
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Austingirl • 14 hours ago
Sorry, but it sounds like Casey Anthony. It looks like she took a page from her book.
25  • Reply•Share ›
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Jason • 16 hours ago
I agree this should have been put on Amber Alert the moment the cops saw he was missing
16  • Reply•Share ›
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Anonymous • 13 hours ago
The FBI doesn't get involved in local missing children cases. There's more to every story than what meets the eye, exact reason they're withholding the statements from the father and his knowledge on the case. The law has more evidence and are tracking the little boy more than the public will ever know. It's a matter of time before light shines down on the truth.
14  • Reply•Share ›
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ronni  Anonymous • 4 hours ago
The FBI will come in if asked by local police.
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Michael • 13 hours ago
Do these parents live in a vacuum? Where is the family, where are the friends and workmates? Is everyone so self absorbed they didn't see this developing? This is almost as disturbing as the report of the missing and reportedly abused young child.
14  • Reply•Share ›
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LizBot  Michael • 11 hours ago
My husband and I have family living less than 10 minutes away in all directions, and friends as well, and we can go months without seeing anyone. People are content to rely on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and whatever else to keep "in touch", so I don't think it's that shocking to hear a toddler -- who isn't in school yet -- has virtually disappeared without anyone noticing. Sometimes my kids' grandparents go 2+ months without visiting or seeing pictures of them for no reason other than they are busy. And we live in a nice house with great neighbors and a dog. Even the American dream isn't enough to get people to pay attention to each other. :P
4  • Reply•Share › One other person is typing…
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Margaret Perez  LizBot • 7 hours ago
That's really sad to hear. If I went 2 weeks w/o taking the kids to see their grandma i would get phone calls full of tears & then she would just show up on my door step. When your a grandparent I hope you push yourself into your grandbabies lives! I know I will!
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Gina Neen Brozak  Margaret Perez • 6 hours ago
Completely agree! Our children see their grandparents several times a week and yeah my family would notice. Family is everything, that just sounds so lazy to me to rely on social media.
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LaceyWade • 17 hours ago
I don't understand why this doesn't qualify for an Amber Alert. It appears that the qualifications stated are met.
11  • Reply•Share ›
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Shane Michaels  LaceyWade • 16 hours ago
From the AMBER Alert website:

"For an AMBER Alert to be effective in recovering a missing child, the law enforcement agency must have enough information to believe that an immediate broadcast to the public will enhance the efforts of law enforcement to locate the child and apprehend the suspect. This element requires as much descriptive information as possible about the abducted child and the abduction, as well as descriptive information about the suspect and the suspect’s vehicle. Issuing alerts in the absence of significant information that an abduction has occurred could lead to abuse of the system and ultimately weaken its effectiveness."

Without that descriptive information, every blonde-haired, green-eyed 2 year old becomes Colton Turner, and it becomes increasingly more difficult for law enforcement to follow up on leads that could actually produce results.
24  • Reply•Share ›
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LaceyWade  Shane Michaels • 16 hours ago
Ah! Thank you for clarifying that for me. :)
10  • Reply•Share ›
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Ralph Douglas • 15 hours ago
Why two months later are we the public being notified??? I hope they find this little boy safe. It amazes me that a parent would harm a child. I am praying that someone finds him and the mother pays for this!
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Nathaniel  Ralph Douglas • 12 hours ago
This is because police had not known that colton was missing and friend thought she had dropped him off with a ‘friend' even though he wasn't real. But police did not know this. Plus police were searching for Megan and she had hid out. Until a recent tip from a close person to me for Megan stealing 300 from their account. Police had no idea where she was.
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Bruce  Ralph Douglas • 14 hours ago
(Comment deleted after reading other comments indicating the police knew about this well before yesterday.)
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Lindsie Alley • 15 hours ago
She is worthless! That poor child. If she didn't have custody then who did? Very confusing.
9  • Reply•Share ›
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Angela Brown • 15 hours ago
Prayers that he is found safe. He should be taken from this woman who obviously has no business taking care of him. I have a 14 month old grand daughter and if something happened to her I would raise all kinds of hell until someone listened to me.
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Gina Neen Brozak  Angela Brown • 6 hours ago
It doesn't sound like she should be caring for anyone or anything!
More...

http://www.hillcountrynews.com/news/article_20558506-3a84-11e4-89ad-df273002157f.html
FBI involved in search for missing Cedar Park boy, mom in custody
Posted: Friday, September 12, 2014 8:40 am | Updated: 11:57 am, Fri Sep 12, 2014.

(http://i.imgur.com/3ar6vuR.jpg) (http://imgur.com/3ar6vuR)
Colton Brandt
This photo shows 2-year-old Colton Brandt. The FBI is assisting with the search for Brandt, who was last seen by relatives in July 2014. His mother, 20-year-old Megan Work, was arrested this week in relation to Colton's disappearance.

UPDATE: (11:50 a.m.) - Reports from the scene in SE Austin indicate a possible excavation, and some media outlets are reporting that a body may have been found. There has been no official confirmation of either, but we will keep readers updated as we have new information.

UPDATE: (10:00 a.m.) - Austin Police Department and other agencies are investigating a possible crime scene in southeast Austin. An APD spokesperson confirmed that the search is related to the case of missing Cedar Park 2-year-old Colton Brandt Turner.

ORIGINAL STORY (8:32 a.m., Sept. 12, 2014) - Former Leander High School student Meagan Work was arrested this week after police were unable to locate Work’s 2-year-old son, Colton Turner.
Police say they began the investigation late Wednesday, after receiving a call concerning Colton’s welfare. Cedar Park police found Meagan, but could not find Colton.
Work, who is 20, is a former LHS student and had reportedly been living in her car for several months, including a period of time living with Colton in her car.
Cedar Park Asst. Chief Mike Harmon said that police believe Colton is in immediate danger, and are working with the FBI to find the boy, who turns 3 next week. Because Work has not been forthcoming with information about the whereabouts of Colton, and police say she has provided inconsistent details about his location and when she last saw him, Harmon said Work has been arrested and will be charged related to the disappearance of Colton.
“She’s being charged because she doesn’t have custody of her own child,” Harmon said. “I don’t know too many parents out there that haven’t seen their child since July 2014, and don’t know the whereabouts of it.”
 ::snipping3::

September 12, 2014 Tweets
https://twitter.com/ciaraorourke (https://twitter.com/ciaraorourke)

Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  1m
A helicopter is again circling above where police have been searching for Colton since this morning. There is no confirmation of body found.

 ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/police-searching-se-austin-for-evidence-in-missing/nhLgL/
Police: Remains found in SE Austin is Colton Turner
Updated: 3:44 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12, 2014 | Posted: 10:02 a.m. Friday, Sept. 12, 2014

3:35 p.m. update: Cedar Park Police Chief Sean Mannix said investigators believe the remains of a small child discovered in Southeast Austin on Friday belong to Colton Turner, 2.
Mannix said the case of is now considered a suspicious death. He said Turner’s mother, Meagan Work, who on Friday was being held in the booking area of the Williamson County Jail, gave three separate accounts about the child’s disappearance.
In a joint news conference with Cedar Park police, Austin Police ChiefArt Acevedo said part of the investigative process will include digging into the history of Turner’s family and any contact with Child Protective Services. Acevedo says he wants to bring justice to a boy whose body was discarded as if he were a cat.

3:20 p.m. update: Cedar Park Police Chief Sean Mannix said the remains of a small child were discovered in Southeast Austin. He said investigators have reason to believe it is Colton Turner, 2.

1:35 p.m. update: The Travis County medical examiner has just arrived at the scene where they’re searching for Colton Turner.

11:15 a.m. update: Police have arrived with digging tools at a field in Southeast Austin as the search continues for a missing 2-year-old boy.
 ::snipping3::

Little Colton's remains have been found.   ::MonkeyAngel::

September 12, 2014 Tweets
https://twitter.com/ciaraorourke (https://twitter.com/ciaraorourke)

 Retweeted by Ciara O'Rourke
 Austin Statesman @statesman  ·  39m
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo speaking now: Wants to bring justice to boy whose body was "discarded" as if he were a cat.

 Retweeted by Ciara O'Rourke
 Austin Statesman @statesman  ·  43m
Cedar Park police say that they have every reason to believe the remains found were those of Colton Turner.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  2h
Acevedo just left the search scene and said news conference at Cedar Park PD at 3:15.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  3h
Travis County medical examiner just arrived at the scene where they're searching for Colton Turner.

http://kxan.com/2014/09/12/apd-fbi-cedar-park-investigating-in-southeast-austin/
Child’s remains found in Southeast Austin
Published: September 12, 2014, 7:46 am    Updated: September 12, 2014, 4:03 pm

AUSTIN (KXAN) —  The search for missing 2-year-old Colton Brandt Turner turned tragic Friday as a child’s body was found in Southeast Austin where the FBI, Austin and Cedar Park police were searching in a wooded area near the intersection of Burleson Road and  Felter Lane.

We have every reason to believe the remains of that child are those of little Colton Turner,” Cedar Park Chief of Police Sean Mannix said in a news conference Friday afternoon.

Mannix said the case went from missing persons case to a homicide investigation within 48 hours.

“We are no longer looking for a missing child in Cedar Park and instead are investigating a death and disposal of a body,” He said.

The body believed to Colton’s was discovered in Austin Police’s jurisdiction. Chief Art Acevedo said the person of interest in the case, is Colton’s mother, Meagan Work, is in custody.

The FBI, Cedar Park and Austin Police descended upon the wooded area early Friday and used STARFlight crews to search from above. Shortly after the helicopter left the scene, sources told KXAN that they would begin excavating for evidence.

FBI investigators had been working with Cedar Park police to find Colton, after asking for the public’s help Thursday evening in finding the boy who they believe is a victim of child abuse. Colton would have turned 3 years old in nine days.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/11/two-year-old-cedar-park-boy-missing/15474501/
Police find remains believed to be missing boy
September 12, 2014

CEDAR PARK, Texas -- Police said Friday they have found remains of a small child believed to be Colton Brandt Turner, a missing 2-year-old boy.

STAR Flight and officers spent Friday searching for Turner and found the remains around 2:05 p.m., police say. They were searching Southeast Austin, near Felton Lane and Burleson Road, after the Austin Police Department received a tip regarding the boy's whereabouts.

Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said they are no longer looking for a missing child, they are investigating a death. Austin police are taking over the case since Turner's remains were found in Southeast Austin. Acevedo said in a press conference that police are as certain as they can be that the remains are Turner, but they have a lot of work ahead of them to make sure.

On Friday afternoon, Williamson County officials said 20-year-old Meagan Work, Turner's mom, is being held in the booking area of the Williamson County Jail. Investigators said Friday that Work gave police inconsistent accounts of the child's whereabouts and told them she hadn't seen the boy since July.

Acevedo said Work is a person of interest in Turner's death.

Police received a call around 6:20 p.m. Wednesday regarding a welfare concern of a child. Cedar Park police officers found the child's mother, but not the child.

Detectives said the person who called police saw pictures the boy's father posted of him on Facebook, showing him with cuts and bruises. KVUE spoke with Turner's father on Facebook. He said the last time he had seen his son way May 30. When Turner's mother disappeared, he tried to find them and contacted police then. He said a family member recently shared the photos of Turner's cuts and bruises, and he immediately shared them with police.

A search of Williamson County Jail records showed that Work has a criminal history, including charges of animal cruelty and assault.

It seems to me more than just Colton's mother will be looked at very, very closely.

http://kxan.com/2014/09/12/apd-fbi-cedar-park-investigating-in-southeast-austin/
Child’s remains found in Southeast Austin
September 12, 2014

AUSTIN (KXAN) —  The search for missing 2-year-old Colton Brandt Turner turned tragic Friday as a child’s body was found in Southeast Austin where the FBI, Austin and Cedar Park police were searching in a wooded area near the intersection of Burleson Road and  Felter Lane.
 ::snipping3::

Meagan Work is facing charges for possession of drug paraphernalia from January 2014 in addition to the charges that are pending in Williamson and Travis Counties in connection with Colton’s disappearance.

In late 2013, she pleaded guilty to animal cruelty in Williamson County. She also pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily injury stemming from a May 2013 incident where she hit another woman.

Another  ::MonkeyNoNo:: ::MonkeyTears::  Rest in Peace Colton ::MonkeyAngel::

I find this story rather conflicting.  JMHO

http://kxan.com/2014/09/12/friends-shocked-at-news-of-coltons-death/
Friends shocked at news of Colton’s death
September 12, 2014

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/12/authorities-wait-for-forensic-testing-on-body-of-child/15545713/
Authorities wait for forensic testing on body of child
September 13, 2014

CEDAR PARK – Authorities with Austin police, Cedar Park police, the Texas Rangers and the FBI are hoping forensic test results will shed more light on the cause of death of a young child found deceased in southeast Austin Friday around 2 p.m.

The body, found in a shallow grave off Burleson and Felter west of Austin's Airport, is believed to be that of 2-year old Colton Brandt Turner.

The youngster was last seen in July according to his mother 20-year old Meagan Work who is now charged with endangering a child and abandoning a child. Work has been booked into the Travis County jail.
 ::snipping3::

Sept. 13, Saturday at 7 p.m., members of the Cedar Park community are holding a candlelight vigil in Colton Turner's honor in front of the Cedar Park Police Station 911 Quest Pkwy, Cedar Park, TX 78613.

http://kxan.com/2014/09/12/colton-turners-remains-found-in-se-austin/
Colton Turner’s remains found in SE Austin, police say
"We have every reason to believe the remains of that child are those of little Colton Turner"
September 12, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/A3AcLjk.jpg) (http://imgur.com/A3AcLjk)
Police say the body believed to be Colton Turner’s was found in this area. (KXAN Photo)

 ::snipping3::
Police received a call about 6:20 p.m. Wednesday concerned about Colton’s welfare. Cedar Park officers were able to find his mother, 20-year-old Meagan Work, but did not find Colton. Police say Work has been living out of her car for the last several months. Officers found her outside a Cedar Park home but would not say who alerted them to her whereabouts.

Work has been charged with abandoning and endangering a child without intent to return. Online jail records showed she had been released from the Williamson County Jail on Friday. She was later booked into the Travis County Jail about 8:45 p.m., and is charged with tampering with evidence. Austin police noted that additional charges are pending.

Mannix said Friday that Work gave them three different accounts as to where Colton was and none of them check out. From there, Investigators determined the last time the boy was seen with people other than his mother was in July.
 ::snipping3::

Colton Turner Case Timeline at above link.

From the article comments:

HappyAsALark • a day ago
per her facebook page post of 9/8…she's pregnant. 4 months. tell me that child will be taken away from this pos as soon as its born. 

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/26517296/breaking-news-search-for-colton-turner
Police believe child’s remains found, mother booked into jail
September 12, 2014

Police say they have every reason to believe that the remains of a small child found in Southeast Austin are those of two-year-old Colton Turner. Cedar Park police reported Colton as missing and in danger Thursday.

A candlelight vigil is planned for Colton at 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 13th next to the Cedar Park Police Department.

Police say at around 2:05 p.m. they located a body off Felter and Burleson Road. Officers say the body was in a small grave.

Colton's mother, Meagan Work, was booked into the Williamson County Jail for abandoning and endangering a child without the intent to return. She was later moved to the Travis County Jail where she was booked for tampering evidence with additional charges pending.

Police say Work is the person of interest in this case but did say in a press conference that there may be other persons of interest. Police say they are interviewing people at this time.

Cedar Park police say on Wednesday someone sent them photos of Colton with bruises. Officers located Work and questioned her at length on Thursday. Police say Work told them she last saw her son in July and gave multiple stories that didn't check out as to what happened between then and now.

The Austin Police Department has taken the lead on the investigation. APD Chief Art Acevedo said at a press conference this afternoon, “I can tell you anyone that places a child in a small, shallow grave, the fact you can do that doesn't speak well of you as a human being and I cringe at the thought of the life he had while living.”
 ::snipping3::

Just a crying shame.

This young little tyke never had a chance.

Rest in Peace Colton.

 ::MonkeyNoNo:: ::MonkeyTears::

Poor little guy, he's safe now. 

Rest in peace, Colton.   ::MonkeyAngel::

Another child who never had a chance.   ::MonkeyTears:: ::MonkeyNoNo::

I agree with Red and Klaasend that Colton never had a chance.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  It's just heartbreaking that not only did he not have a chance, just the idea of the life he  had until his demise must have been so bad it's difficult for me to think about.   ::MonkeyTears::

http://kxan.com/2014/09/12/coltons-death-the-players-backgrounds/
Colton Turner death: the players’ backgrounds
Published: September 12, 2014, 5:56 pm    Updated: September 13, 2014, 11:19 am

(http://i.imgur.com/TkZHqZG.jpg) (http://imgur.com/TkZHqZG)
Meagan Work

 ::snipping3::
More recently, a senior Cedar Park Police official reportedly said Meagan Work has been the subject of abuse complaints made to the State Department of Child and Family Protective Services. Those records are not releasable due to privacy laws.

In June of 2012, Williamson County criminal court records show Work was charged with animal abuse and later pleaded guilty after a horse tied to a tree at her boyfriend’s mother’s house in Leander became tangled in its lead rope. A police report contends the animal named Rasha suffocated.

In May of 2013, Work was charged with assault with bodily injury after an early morning bar fight involving another woman at a Cedar Park night club. Police sources also indicate she has been the victim of an assault at least once. Meagan is currently waiting a hearing on a misdemeanor charge filed against her in January of Possession / Delivery of Drug Paraphernalia.

She was booked into the Williamson County jail Friday and briefly held on a felony charge of endangering or abandoning a child without the intent to return. NEW: Hours later Friday evening, she was transferred to the Travis County jail and booked on a charge of tampering with evidence. KXAN learned additional charges are pending.

(http://i.imgur.com/pUtopfA.jpg) (http://imgur.com/pUtopfA)
Michael Brant Turner.

Meagan’s reported boyfriend is 29 year-old Michael Brant Turner. Friends of the family tell KXAN he knew Colton most of his life and was considered a father figure. KXAN found he has a lengthy criminal history in Williamson County dating back to 2002 – That history includes animal cruelty, theft, assault, public intoxication, burglary of a habitation and bail jumping.

(http://i.imgur.com/nEIY52z.jpg) (http://imgur.com/nEIY52z)
Brandon Lee Pelfrey

Colton’s biological father is Brandon Lee Pelfrey. He’s 22. There’s no record of his being married to Work in Williamson County civil courts. A friend of Pelfrey’s told KXAN Pelfrey won partial custody of Colton but did not know about it since he missed the court date. This week, it’s reported he was one of the people asking police for help finding the boy.

Friends also say he was not around much after Colton was born. In 2011, when Pelfrey was 18, he was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a mentally disabled teen with two other men. Later this year, he’s due back in court for a public intoxication charge.

To view pictures, blue links are clickable.

September 13, 2014 tweets
https://twitter.com/amberd_KVUE (https://twitter.com/amberd_KVUE)

Amber Downing @amberd_kvue  ·  12h
The 10 o'clock newscast could be more like 10:30. Worth the wait! There are ppl still here at the #ColtonTurner memorial.  @KVUE

 Amber Downing @amberd_kvue  ·  15h
Police officers attending #ColtonTurner memorial point out rainbow as sky clears. @KVUE pic.twitter.com/7UDDrPSmsH (http://pic.twitter.com/7UDDrPSmsH)
(http://i.imgur.com/q0tqpqX.jpg) (http://imgur.com/q0tqpqX)

 Amber Downing @amberd_kvue  ·  15h
#ColtonTurner's stuffed animal pile grows as the crowd does too. @KVUE pic.twitter.com/BPJCCA1LrF (http://pic.twitter.com/BPJCCA1LrF)
(http://i.imgur.com/DpBJsCsl.jpg) (http://imgur.com/DpBJsCs)

 Amber Downing @amberd_kvue  ·  15h
Probably 100 people here. #coltonturner @KVUE pic.twitter.com/rpgHg8HSUU (http://pic.twitter.com/rpgHg8HSUU)
 
 Amber Downing @amberd_kvue  ·  15h
Streets and nearby parking lots filling up as more and more come to honor little #ColtonTurner @KVUE pic.twitter.com/46feJQII6D (http://pic.twitter.com/46feJQII6D)

 Amber Downing @amberd_kvue  ·  15h
An emotional day for many. Some shed tears as they write notes to #ColtonTurner @KVUE pic.twitter.com/Y8sVLsEGZ4 (http://pic.twitter.com/Y8sVLsEGZ4)
 
 Amber Downing @amberd_kvue  ·  16h
Teddy bears, notes, balloons being left for #coltonturner @KVUE pic.twitter.com/iNc9jqqS2F (http://pic.twitter.com/iNc9jqqS2F)
 
 Amber Downing @amberd_kvue  ·  16h
Balloons for #ColtonTurner @KVUE pic.twitter.com/pJ5ikAKgrE (http://pic.twitter.com/pJ5ikAKgrE)
 

 Amber Downing @amberd_kvue  ·  16h
People starting to gather at memorial for #ColtonTurner at Heritage Oak Park in Cedar Park. @KVUE

BBM -- From articles posted above, some indicate Meagen Work had been living out of her car for several months.  I guess no one knew this?  When Colton was alive, was he too living out of the car? 

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/14/memorial-for-2-year-old-colton-turner-draws-hundreds/15609257/
Memorial for 2-year-old Colton Turner draws hundreds
September 13, 2014

CEDAR PARK -- The somber sound of "Amazing Grace" fills the park as hundreds gather to remember a life lost too soon. Just 24 hours before, Varsha Megha, mother of eight, heard about little Colton Turner, a two-year-old boy whose body was found in Southeast Austin.

"When I heard about what was going on, I cried," Megha said. "I broke down and I started speaking to some friends online and they felt the same way".

Megha invited 15 people to pray for Colton at the big tree at Heritage Oak Park, but that number quickly grew on the Facebook Event "Prayers for Colton" as 1,300 people RSVP'd.

"This is a small town like that and we are a community and we're hurting right now," said Megha.

Despite the rain, about 350 people showed up to write down their feelings, give gifts and send Colton off with love.

"Everyone's feeling the same things," said Melissa Mayfield. "They're here to support a child".

"It just brings unity to the entire community and their family and what's important about it and that's remembering him for the sweet little child that he was," said Casey Manion.

Manion grew up with 20-year-old Meagan Work, who's facing multiple charges in connection with her son's death. Manion, like many in the community, feel a level of responsibility for what happened.

"I didn't see anything out of the ordinary to lead you to believe something bad was going on and that's what makes me really angry," Manion said.

 ::snipping3::

Colton Turner would have turned 3 on Sept. 21, 2014. Some members of the community are holding a birthday party for him at Elizabeth M. Milburn Community Park Sept. 21. Organizers will take toys that were donated at the vigil to the party.

People like this should be allowed to have children.  I know it's their right . . . but the ones who suffer the most . . . in ways I don't even want to imagine . . . are the children.  Where are their rights?

 ::MonkeyTears::

 ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/bond-for-meagan-work-set-at-250000/nhMbW/
Bail for Meagan Work set at $250,000
September 14, 2014

The bail for Meagan Rena Work, the 20-year-old mother suspected of involvement in the likely death of her 2-year-old son Colton Brandt Turner, was set at $250,000, according to Travis County jail records.
After police arrested Work for abandonment of a child Wednesday because she said she hadn’t seen her son for months and didn’t know where he was, investigators found what they believe to be Colton Turner’s remains in South Austin on Friday.
Austin police have referred to Work as a “person of interest” in the case. Officials have said that Work was homeless and living in a car with her son when he was last seen in July.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_yi5bmM5qM&feature=youtu.be
Chase Defends Meagan Work and Baby's Father

Published on Sep 13, 2014
Chase called into the Jeff Ward Show with some crucial insight to the story.

I've seen and heard lots of comments comparing Meagan Work to Casey Anthony.  Some call her The Texas Casey Anthony.  Caylee Anthony never had justice.  Let's hope there is justice for Colton. 

September 15, 2014 Tweets
https://twitter.com/ciaraorourke (https://twitter.com/ciaraorourke)

Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  2h
Though police say both mother and boyfriend admit to burying Colton, more questions than answers in this affidavit: http://shar.es/1a1NBy  (http://shar.es/1a1NBy)

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  5h
Then, according to court records, she and Turner waited until dark to bury Colton. They have both been charged with tampering with evidence.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  5h
She said Colton had a seizure in July, that she and Turner tried to nurse him back to health at a motel, and that he was dead when she woke.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  5h
When police told Work that Turner had led them to Colton's grave, she changed her story, according to court records.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  5h
Turner is the person who told police where to find Colton.

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  5h
Turner, Work's boyfriend, told police Colton was wrapped in a purple blanket, buried 2-3 feet in the ground and covered in wood, sheet rock.   ::MonkeyTears::

 Ciara O'Rourke @ciaraorourke  ·  5h
After Meagan Work told police several stories about what happened to Colton, Michael Turner said he was dead, according to court records.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/affidavit-mothers-boyfriend-led-police-to-colton-t/nhMzp/
Affidavit: Mother’s boyfriend led police to Colton Turner’s grave
Updated: 11:53 a.m. Monday, Sept. 15, 2014 | Posted: 9:53 a.m. Monday, Sept. 15, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/W6HZUa8.jpg) (http://imgur.com/W6HZUa8)
An August booking photo for Michael Brandt Turner on an unrelated charge

(http://i.imgur.com/S1exPH4.jpg) (http://imgur.com/S1exPH4)
Meagan Work

Meagan Work’s boyfriend led police to the shallow grave in Southeast Austin where authorities believe they found the remains of the Cedar Park woman’s 2-year-old son on Friday, according to an arrest affidavit made public on Monday.
Work, 20, and her boyfriend, Michael Brandt Turner, 29, have been charged with tampering with physical evidence, a second-degree felony that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Work had told inconsistent stories about what happened to her son, Colton, police said. But after learning that Turner had showed police where the boy was buried, Work said Colton had died on July 7 after having a seizure the day before, according to the affidavit.
Work said Colton had hit his head on an air-conditioning unit inside a motel room on July 6 “as a result of Colton being assaulted,” according to the affidavit. The document does not say who allegedly assaulted the boy. Colton was unable to walk and was not acting normally afterward, the document says. Later that day, Colton had a seizure andWork and Turner brought him back to the motel room to nurse him back to health, the affidavit says. Work said that when she woke up on July 7, Colton was dead and they buried him.
Authorities apparently learned the boy was missing on Sept. 10, when a woman told Cedar Park police that she was concerned about Colton because she hadn’t seen him in some time.
She also said that she had seen photos that showed Colton with severe bruising on his back and on the side of his head.
Colton was known to last be in the care of Work, who detectives located at a Cedar Park home, and Turner, who was at the San Saba County Jail.
The affidavit reveals a tangle of conflicting information that police say they gleaned from Work and Turner, who appear to blame each other for not taking Colton to the hospital the day his health supposedly declined.
Work initially told police that Colton was with her friend in Sachse, which is about 25 miles northeast of Dallas. However, according to the affidavit, the woman Work was staying with said that Work had told her Colton was with family in East Texas.
When detectives confronted Work with the inconsistent stories, she told them that Colton had been kidnapped from her vehicle in the East Rundberg area of Austin, the affidavit says. Work said a purple blanket and her wallet were also stolen, the document says.
As investigators continued to interview Work, she changed her story again, according to the affidavit. Now, she told authorities that she had given Colton to an unknown couple at a fast-food restaurant. The man and woman had two children of their own, the affidavit says Work said, but she was unable to describe them and only gave a vague description of their vehicle.
Work was charged in Williamson County with abandoning a child.
Investigators then drove to San Saba County to talk to Turner.
Turner initially said that Work had told him that she gave Colton to friends at a fast-food restaurant. Later, however, he told investigators that Colton was dead, and that he was wrapped in a purple blanket and buried two to three feet in the ground, according to an arrest affidavit. The grave, which Turner said he would show to authorities, was covered in a pile of wood and a piece of sheet rock, the affidavit says.
Investigators drove Turner from San Saba to an undeveloped area on Felter Lane near Burleson Road where authorities spent Friday searching for Colton in Southeast Austin. After they parked, Turner led them into the wood line and they found the grave site, just as Turner described it, according to the arrest affidavit.
After finding remains there, Austin homicide detective Anthony Nelson interviewed Work.
She initially repeated her story about giving Colton to a couple at a restaurant but changed her story again when Nelson told her what Turner had told investigators, according to the affidavit.
Work said she and Colton were waiting for Turner outside of where he worked on July 6 when Colton had a seizure, the affidavit says. Turner drove them back to the motel room where they were staying and tried to nurse him back to health, it says. Work said she fell asleep and that when she woke up, Colton was dead.
When Nelson asked Work if there were any injuries on Colton’s body, she said he would most likely have a large bump on his head from falling down days before his death and that there would likely still be bruising on his body, the affidavit says. She wasn’t able to say who caused the injuries, the document says.
During a later interview, she said Turner had said they couldn’t take Colton to the hospital because they could get arrested, according to the affidavit. Back at the motel room they both knew his health was getting worse, she said, but they wanted time to think of the best way to get help without getting in trouble, the affidavit says.
“They even thought they could just drop him at the hospital, but feared that his DNA would be linked to hers,” the affidavit says.
Work also said that they first tried to bury him on July 7, with Work holding her phone up as a light, but that when they were finished around midnight she feared the grave wasn’t deep enough, according to the affidavit. She said they removed him from the grave and drove back to the motel room with his body in the bed of the truck, the affidavit says. They slept with his body lying on the room’s floor and then went to Felter Lane, where Turner buried Colton again, the affidavit says she told police.
When investigators again interviewed Turner, he also said that Work and Colton were waiting in his truck while he was at work on July 6, according to the affidavit. They had arrived at 9 a.m. that day, and a half-hour later he heard Work yelling for him to come outside, where he found Colton was not breathing normally, the affidavit says.
He said he planned to drive Colton to the hospital but that Work told him they couldn’t because they would “get into trouble and Colton would be taken away from them,” the affidavit says.
Turner said that he had noticed a bump on Colton’s head days before his death and that Work had “done something” to him, the affidavit says.
Though Turner is not Colton’s biological father, he told police the boy was “his son” and that Colton had been given his middle and last name.
Work remained at the Travis County Jail Monday with bail set at $250,000. The child abandonment charge in Williamson County has been dropped.
Turner is at the San Saba County Jail, where he was in custody after his probation was revoked, according to police and court records. Depending on what charges he faces there, he may be extradited to Travis County, an Austin police official said.

http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/news/documents/2014/09/15/Meagan_Work_affidavit.pdf
Meagan Work's Arrest Affidavit

http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/news/documents/2014/09/15/Michael_Turner_arrest_affidavit.pdf
Michael Turner's Arrest Affidavit

 ::MonkeyTears::   ::MonkeyMad:: 

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/15/new-details-emerge-in-2-year-olds-death/15661737/
Details emerge in 2-year-old's death
September 15, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* Colton had a seizure after hitting his head on an AC unit in a motel

* Mother didn't want to take him to the hospital for fear of police involvement

*Mother: Colton died the morning of July 7

*Mother's boyfriend led police to Colton's grave


 ::snipping3::
Turner told investigators that after Colton died, he was wrapped in a purple blanket and buried approximately two to three feet in the ground, with wood and sheet rock placed on top of the grave. Turner showed police where the grave was off of Felter Lane in Austin.

After Turner led police to the grave, detectives then interviewed Work. She told police that sometime in early July, she and Colton were waiting for Turner outside of where he worked when Colton had a seizure. She said she yelled for Turner, who got into the car and drove them back to the motel room where they were staying. Turner told police that Meagan told him they could not take Colton to the hospital because they would "get in trouble and Colton would be taken away from [them]."

Police said Work told them they attempted to care for Colton at the motel, then she fell asleep. When Work woke up the morning of July 7, Colton was dead. She said she and Turner waited until it got dark to bury Colton's body. When they tried to bury him, the grave was too shallow because Turner was using a knife to dig, so they drove back to the hotel and waited until the next night. Work told police around 6 or 7 p.m. on July 8, they took Colton's body to Felter Lane to bury him, borrowing a shovel from a man nearby to make the grave deeper.

Work told police that on July 6, Colton hit his head on an air conditioning unit inside of the hotel room as a result of being assaulted. She said Colton could not walk and was not acting normal.

 ::snipping3::

Police initially received a welfare call on Wednesday afternoon from a friend of Work's who was concerned about Colton. She said she had not seen the boy in "some time" and had photos of Colton depicting severe bruising to his back and left side of his head. Police said the photos appeared to be in "various stages of healing, which suggested continued abuse."

Work is in the Travis County Jail on a $250,000 bond. Turner is in the San Saba County Jail.

And if you believe Meagan Work's story (latest version of the story ,  I got a bridge to sell ya'...  ::MonkeyNoNo::  ::MonkeyMad::  If little Colton had a seizure, it would have been from whatever abuses he had suffered up to that point.  She was afraid to take him to the ER because they would be arrested, and I believe that part.  Colton's little body would have shown the horrors he had been subjected to.  JMHO 

http://kxan.com/2014/09/15/mom-colton-turner-had-a-seizure-and-was-buried/
Mom: Colton Turner had a seizure and was buried
September 15, 2014

AUSTIN (KXAN) – When it appeared 2-year-old Colton Turner was having a seizure, his parents took him to a motel because they were afraid of being arrested if they took him to a hospital, court documents show.

Meagan Work, the boy’s mother, and Michael Brandt Turner, Work’s boyfriend, both face a charge of tampering with physical evidence after police found Colton Turner’s body buried near Felter Lane in Southeast Austin.

According to the probable cause document in the case, Work and Colton went to work with Turner on July 6th or 7th. Shortly after he started working, Turner told police he heard Work yelling for him. He ran outside and found Colton was not breathing normally. Investigators indicate he may have been having a seizure. Turner told investigators he climbed into the car and was going to drive the toddler to the hospital but Work told him they’d get in trouble and Colton would be taken from them.

Instead, Turner drove to a motel where Work put ice on Colton’s head because he seemed hot.

Work told investigators she fell asleep and discovered Colton was dead the next morning. She and Turner waited until sundown to bury Colton. The pair wrapped him in a purple blanket and buried him in a shallow grave that Turner dug with a knife. Then, they decided to move Colton’s body to a different, deeper location off of Felter Lane. Turner borrowed a shovel to dig the grave and then covered the site with wood and sheet rock.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/26534198/new-details-emerge-in-the-death-of-two-year-old-colton-brandt-turner
New details emerge in the death of two year old Colton Brandt Turner
Posted: Sep 15, 2014 10:14 AM CDT
Updated: Sep 15, 2014 10:35 AM CDT

 
http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/26526213/home-videos-show-colton-turner-spending-time-with-parents
Home videos show Colton Turner spending time with parents
Posted: Sep 13, 2014 8:59 PM CDT
Updated: Sep 14, 2014 2:18 PM CDT

Home movies, released to FOX 7 by Colton Turner's family members, show the 2-year-old spending time with his parents.

Family members said Colton was a sweet, happy little boy who was loved by his dad.

On May 31, 2014, Colton, his mother Meagan Work and his father Brandon Pelfrey spent the day driving through the mud in Pelfrey's back yard. Pelfrey's family didn't know it at the time, but that would be one of the last times they would ever see the little boy alive again and they said its how they will always remember him.

Colton was just two years old when police found what they believe to be his remains in a wooded area in south east Austin.
 ::snipping3::
Colton's father's family says Pelfrey had tried to get his son back in the past, but Work wouldn't let him near the child.

Now pictures and videos are all Colton's family have left to remember him by.

Colton's grandmother on his father's side said they are meeting with a funeral home Saturday to make arrangements for Colton.

I meant to mention in my previous post you can see the video clips in the article.  Hearing Meagan Work saying "Say hi, look at the camera..." to Colton in a saccharin sing song voice makes  me  ::MonkeyMad::   

Go Fund Me account for Colton's funeral:

http://www.keyetv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/website-used-raise-funds-colton-turners-funeral-20803.shtml
Website Used to Raise Funds for Colton Turner's Funeral
September 15, 2014

Cook, Walden Davis Funeral Home has stepped up to help plan the funeral of Colton Turner. "He may not have been honored in life but he will be honored in death," said Kevin Hull, the vice president of Cook Walden Davis Funeral Home.  As more details emerge about the death of two-year-old Colton it's clear he wasn't honored in life. "We needed to do something that was above and beyond because again no parent should have to bury their child," Hull said.  The funeral home set up a GoFundMe account to raise money to cover the costs. More than $5,000 for the cemetery costs was raised in just one day. People nationwide have stepped up to help.
 ::snipping3::



To Donate:

http://www.gofundme.com/egtqsk

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/26526213/home-videos-show-colton-turner-spending-time-with-parents

Just watched the home movie, he was so precious!   ::MonkeyTears::

That sweet little face...

I'll never understand, especially his own mother.  There's no excuse.

 JMO

 ::MonkeyNoNo:: ::MonkeyMad:: ::MonkeyTears::

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/15/new-details-emerge-in-2-year-olds-death/15661737/

Poor sweet baby, he didn't ever have a chance! Where were the grandparents for this precious Angel!

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/affidavit-mothers-boyfriend-led-police-to-colton-t/nhMzp/

BBM  Too little too late.   ::MonkeyNoNo::   ::MonkeyMad::

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/crime/2014/09/16/cps-received-multiple-reports-before-toddler-death-cedar-park-austin/15709161/
CPS received multiple reports before 2-year-old's death
September 16, 2014

CPS had received four total complaints beginning when Colton was about six months old, according to the sources.

AUSTIN -- Texas Child Protective Services received multiple reports that 2-year-old Colton Turner may be the victim of abuse in the weeks and months before he was found dead in a shallow grave, law enforcement sources have confirmed to the KVUE Defenders and Austin American-Statesman.

CPS had received four total complaints beginning when Colton was about six months old, according to the sources.


Two of the complaints had been resolved, but it was not immediately clear how. The other two were open and on-going when investigators discovered Colton's body in Southeast Austin last week.

Colton's mother, Meagan Work, remains a person of interest in his death.

The sources said it's unclear whether one person filed the reports, or whether CPS received reports from several people concerned about Colton's welfare.

CPS officials said Monday they have opened an internal investigation into the agency's handling of the complaints.

At a news conference last week, Police Chief Art Acevedo said part of his department's investigation would include a review of whether Colton's family had any contact with state protective agencies to "make sure there were no signs that were missed."

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/26534198/new-details-emerge-in-the-death-of-two-year-old-colton-brandt-turner
New details in the death of two-year-old Colton Turner
Posted: Sep 15, 2014 10:14 AM CDT
Updated: Sep 15, 2014 6:30 PM CDT

Austin Police want access to Meagan Work's Facebook account. On Monday a judge signed off on a search warrant where police say Work has pictures that show alleged abuse. It's part of the ongoing investigation homicide detectives are working on.
 ::snipping3::

Link to Search Warrant:
http://ftpcontent3.worldnow.com/ktbc/PDF%20Files/Work%20Search%20Warrant%20.pdf

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/court-hearing-set-for-colton-turners-mother/nhNqX/
Court hearing set for Colton Turner’s mother
September 16, 2014

The first court hearing for the mother of Colton Turner, Meagan Work, has been set for next week, according to court records. Work is accused of helping bury her 2-year-old in a shallow grave in Southeast Austin after the child died while she slept.
Court records state Work, 20, is due for her first appearance in court in the 167th District Court on Aug. 23 at 9 a.m. Her attorney is listed as Darla D. Davis.
 ::snipping3::
Work and her boyfriend Michael Brandt Turner, 29, are both charged with tampering with physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, a second-degree felony. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.
No hearings have yet been scheduled for Turner. He was booked into the Travis County Jail late Monday night.

http://kxan.com/2014/09/16/texas-cps-had-involvement-with-colton-turner/
Texas CPS ‘had involvement’ with Colton Turner
Published: September 16, 2014, 1:56 pm    Updated: September 16, 2014, 2:54 pm

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The timeline on when the Texas Division of Child and Protective Services first learned about abuse complaints involving Colton Turner remains unclear. But CPS Spokesperson Julie Moody tells KXAN the agency ‘had involvement’ with Turner’s mother, Meagan Work. Work, along with her boyfriend and son’s namesake, Michael Brandt Turner, are both being held in the Travis County jail on $250,000 bond, jail records showed Tuesday. They are both charged with tampering with evidence. Police have said further charges could be brought.

Moody also confirms to KXAN CPS staff decided last Friday evening to conduct an internal review into how its investigators handled any complaints. Law enforcement sources told KXAN Monday there were four known abuse complaints made to CPS regarding Colton’s well being. An Austin Police warrant affidavit released Monday requesting a search of Work’s Facebook page contends CPS ‘was advised’ of photos showing bruises and injuries on Colton’s back and face.

Moody would not confirm whether there was an active investigation into abuse complaints or that its staff could not find Meagan Work, as police officials indicated. A team of Cedar Park Police patrol officers and detectives located Work in hours, Chief Sean Mannix told KXAN Monday. Colton’s body was recovered in a shallow grave in Southeast Austin 42 hours after detectives received their first tip from the public the little boy had not been seen since midsummer. They were led there by Work’s boyfriend Michael Turner, the affidavit contends.

CPS will also conduct a standard death investigation. State law also requires CPS staff to fill out a form 2059 – a Summary of Client Needs. It could reveal more about how Colton was living before he disappeared – providing it turns out there was an investigation then. Police say his mother Meagan Work was living in her green Dodge pick-up truck for months when she was located last week. That truck has been through a forensic examination and is now in police lock-up, law enforcement officials confirmed.

CPS to be reviewed by Inspector General commission

KXAN also confirms the Office of Inspector General of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission will review the Turner case. A spokesperson says the OIG has been reviewing child death cases where there was prior CPS history since late 2012.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/clip/10589399/michael-turner-booked-in-the-travis-county-jail-on-250000-bond
Michael Turner booked in the Travis County Jail on $250,000 bond

Video

September 16, 2014 Tweets
https://twitter.com/keyetv (https://twitter.com/keyetv)

 keyetv retweeted
 Lydia Pantazes @Twydia  ·  14m
A memorial across the street continues to grow in honor of 2-year old #ColtonTurner @keyetv @TelemundoAustin

(http://i.imgur.com/wUQOVr2.jpg) (http://imgur.com/wUQOVr2)

September 16, 2014 Tweets
https://twitter.com/NoelleonFOX7 (https://twitter.com/NoelleonFOX7)

Noelle Newton @NoelleonFOX7  ·  1h
CPS still not giving media any case history on Colton. A spokesperson says they are doing an internal review and there's no time table.

 Noelle Newton @NoelleonFOX7  ·  1h
.@CedarParkTX Police Chief Mannix says he knows of 4 CPS cases involving Colton. Agency first had contact when Colton was around 6 months.

 Noelle Newton @NoelleonFOX7  ·  1h
Memorial for #ColtonTurner across from the Cedar Park Police Department.
(http://i.imgur.com/S4sy0Ee.jpg) (http://imgur.com/S4sy0Ee)

The system failed this precious child.

And so did those around him - and I'm not referring to the two in jail.

Yes, I believe they did too.  JMHO

I really hope this isn't going to be Meagan Work's defense.  There are plenty of folks that endured a poor start in life and over came it.  There are plenty of folks whose folks were abusive.  That doesn't mean one can't change and want and do better for their children. What is a person doing being the parent of a little boy when they've been charged with cruelty to animals?  Really?!  Not much of a step up and over!  CPS failed.  The adults around little Colton failed and he paid for it with his life.  JMHO

http://ux.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/16/meagan-works-family-history/15742015/http://ux.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/16/meagan-works-family-history/15742015/http://ux.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/16/meagan-works-family-history/15742015/http://ux.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/16/meagan-works-family-history/15742015/
Meagan Work's family history following death of son, 2
September 16, 2014

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas -- We're learning more about Colton Turner's mother, Meagan Work.

A 17-page report details an investigation into her parents back in 2007, leading up to when the state put her and her siblings in foster care
The Department of Family and Protective Services report details what life was like for the then-13-year-old girl.

That's when the DFPS began an investigation into her parents, Tayleen and Sidney Work.

Criminal records show both have a lengthy criminal history. Tayleen's includes multiple arrests for possession, DWI and theft. Sidney for theft, possession, public intoxication and cruelty to animals.

According to the report, caseworkers went to the family's home and found dirty dishes, dog feces on the carpet and numerous hypodermic needles on the floor in their bedroom. The report says Tayleen got the needles because she had diabetes.

Drug tests for both parents came back positive for cocaine, although it details how the two dyed their hair to try to alter the results.

The paperwork shows Sidney completed a sex offender evaluation and contained four out of five risk factors and that he not be allowed unsupervised contact with his children.

The girls went to live with other family for about nine months, then in foster care for about year.

The report also says therapists diagnosed Meagan with Adjustment disorder, mixed anxiety and depression.

Friends tell KVUE Meagan's mother died earlier this year. They also say Meagan is homeless, living in hotels and with friends and she's four months pregnant.

Meagan also has a criminal history including assault and cruelty to animals.

http://kxan.com/2014/09/16/funeral-plans-proper-burial-for-colton/
Funeral home plans proper burial for Colton Turner
September 16, 2014

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — There was so much about Colton Turner that Sue Anne Spry did not know. But she knew what she could see.

“He was a beautiful child,” said Spry.

Colton’s babysitter was a friend of Spry’s family. Often times, the babysitter would bring Colton over to her home where he would become the center of attention.

“He was like any 2-year-old,” said Spry. “He loved to play and hang out with my daughters. They are teenagers and they doted all over him.”

But for all the affection they showered upon Colton, there were still many things about his life that remained hidden from view. His mother, Meagan Work, was a stranger whom they never met nor heard about. They were oblivious to any potential Child Protective Services investigation which may have been happening around Colton. And they never saw bumps of bruises like the ones that have surfaced in pictures during the last week.

“I saw no physical signs on him at all,” said Spry. And as of eight months ago, she and her family never saw Colton at all. When the arrangements between the family, babysitter, and Colton changed, it seemed he had exited Spry’s life. “I was actually sad when he did not come around anymore. I missed him when I did not get to see him.”

But that was until last week when she saw Colton on Facebook. Along with everyone else.

“I saw on Facebook that he was missing and I was devastated.”

Sue Anne is a manager at Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home and now, as one of the people who got to know Colton during his short life, she will help plan his funeral service. A time, date, and place have not been selected but his services will be made open to the public; the same public helping donate to an online fund.

“I didn’t know you, but your smile warms my heart. So sorry you had to go so soon,” said one comment on the GoFundMe.com website, one of the more than 200 donations. The page reached its goal of $10,000 in less than three days.
 ::snipping3::

 ::MonkeyTears::

Another child who did not have a realistic chance of survival . . .

 ::MonkeyTears::

September 17, 2014 Tweets
https://twitter.com/TerriG_KVUE (https://twitter.com/TerriG_KVUE)

Terri Gruca @TerriG_KVUE  ·  14h
Balloon release planned for #ColtonTurner's birthday weekend. Why filing more serious charges against mom & boyfriend may be difficult @KVUE

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/17/more-charges-may-not-come-quickly-in-colton-turner-case/15804271/
More charges may not come quickly in Colton Turner case
September 17, 2014

AUSTIN -- Prosecutors handling the case of 2-year-old Colton Turner could face hurdles in filing additional charges in his death, legal and forensic experts say.

His mother, 20-year-old Meagan Work, and her boyfriend, Michael Brandt Turner, 29, are currently charged with evidence tampering, a second-degree felony. More severe charges, such as murder or injury to a child, are first-degree felonies for which they could face up to life in prison.

What charges prosecutors ultimately file likely will depend on whether medical examiners can determine how Colton died -- a determination that could be difficult because his remains were in a shallow grave for about two months.

"When all you have left are the bones, you can only work with the bones. You don't have any organs that you can examine for natural causes of death and you don't have soft tissue where superficial injuries would be located," said Dr. Judy Melinek, a nationally known forensic pathologist based in San Francisco.

Austin attorney Mindy Montford, a former prosecutor who has handled child abuse cases, said a cause of death can be important to the prosecution's case — and difficult without it — but that cases may still proceed without one.

"You are not always going to have a cause of death," she said. "So there is a way that if they cannot determine what the cause of death would be, they can present it to the grand jury just as an 'unknown' based on the information we have. But they are going to want to try to move forward with as much information as they can gather just to eliminate any questions possible grand jurors might have."

Austin attorney Brad Urrutia said, however, that he thinks information about how Colton died will be critical to the prosecution's case.

"They have to find a cause of death that somehow relates to an injury," he said. He also said if they are unable to learn a cause of death, prosecutors could still build a case based on circumstantial evidence.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/18/meagan-works-sister-talks-about-their-childhood-coltons-life/15857241/
Work's sister talks about their childhood, Colton's life
September 19, 2014

 ::snipping3::
"Something needs to be changed, because now, my nephew is dead because they did not give the time of day to him," said Heather Tyler.
Tyler is Meagan Work's older sister -- a woman now filled with grief, guilt and frustration toward Child Protective Services.

"I've had random family members tell me that, 'I called CPS on Meagan, and they didn't do anything, and they told me they would call me back.' And it's like they don't even live here. They live five hours away, and they called CPS on Meagan, and no one did anything about it," said Tyler.

Law enforcement sources tell KVUE News from the time Colton was six months old until investigators found his body, CPS received four complaints into possible abuse against him.

"CPS did not stand up for Colton, did not help Colton in any way, and now he's dead," Tyler said.

And it's not just Colton. Tyler said CPS didn't stand up for her, Meagan or their younger sister.

"My parents, they were on drugs and made bad choices, and so I did what I could to protect them and take care of them and raise them ever since I was in elementary school," Tyler.

Tyler said she especially took care of Work, who is four years younger than her.

"She was so smart. She loved books. She was happy. She loved animals. I mean, she was a great kid that was dealing with a lot that she shouldn't have," Tyler said. "I would get up, get her dressed, make our lunch. We would walk to school, and she would sit in my class and basically wait, you know, for her school to start, because my mom would be home sleeping."

Tyler said her stepfather sexually abused her and CPS first investigated the family when she was 2 years old.

"No child should experience what I experienced. I mean, they shouldn't. And it's terrible," said Tyler, holding back tears. "We were told what goes on in this house stays in this house. So of course, no, I didn't tell anyone."

When Tyler turned 17, she left home to live with friends and told someone about the abuse. CPS removed Work and her younger sister from their parents' home for about a year, then returned them.

"I just feel that if I didn't leave that none of this would have happened. I feel like I let Meagan down," said Tyler.

Tyler said she last saw Work at their mother's funeral in February and said the 20-year-old looked well, but she couldn't say the same for Colton.

"He seemed fine. He didn't, I mean, he didn't have any bruises or scratches on him or anything but he, I mean, I guess he was wearing clothes that were too small for him. He looked like, I mean I just don't want to say. He didn't look OK," Tyler said.

Tyler said she didn't think Colton was being abused, but neglected.

"He just looked like he wasn't being taken care of. You know, he just didn't look clean," she said.

Police have charged Work with tampering with evidence and named her a person of interest in Colton's death, leaving Tyler wondering if she could have done more.

"A child should not live the life that we lived. And so I feel like she had demons that she was dealing with, and that she was facing that she obviously just couldn't face. And it turned her into a monster I guess," said Tyler. "I didn't raise a murderer and that's what hurts. Like, I just can't believe this was going on."
 ::snipping3::

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/donations-pay-for-colton-turners-funeral-expenses/nhQyR/
Donations pay for Colton Turner’s funeral expenses
September 19, 2014

All of the funeral expenses for Colton Turner have been covered by the community and local service providers, said Jessica McDunn, a spokeswoman for Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home in Georgetown.
Services to honor Turner — who would have turned 3 years old on Sept. 21 — have not yet been scheduled. His family has chosen to donate money that was raised to the Center for Child Protection, Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center, Hope Alliance and Angelheart Kids child placement services, McDunn said.
Investigators found Turner’s body buried in a shallow grave in a field in Southeast Austin Sept. 12. His mother, Meagan Work, and her boyfriend, Michael Turner, have both been charged with tampering with evidence in connection with the boy’s death.
The remains are currently in the custody of the Travis County Medical Examiner’s office.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/local/document-boyfriend-reported-child-care-expenses-af/nhPhT/?icmp=statesman_internallink_textlink_apr2013_statesmanstubtomystatesman_launch#6ff1ffa8.3400691.735494
Document: Boyfriend reported child care expenses after Colton’s death
September 17, 2014

SAN SABA — When Michael Brandt Turner was arrested Sept. 4 because his probation was revoked after testing positive for marijuana and failing to report to his probation officers, he requested a court-appointed attorney, according to court records.
On the application for such a lawyer, Turner, 29, wrote that he was doing “maintenance and assembly” work at an Austin auto shop. He listed Meagan Work as his wife and Colton Turner as his son. He also said that he was paying $300 per month for child care, and that he, Work and Colton were living at his mother’s home in Leander.
But Turner would later tell police that Colton had been dead for nearly two months when he filled out that form, according to an affidavit for his arrest.
 ::snipping3::
For Turner, the arrest is another twist in a criminal history that stretches back more than a decade. He has been booked in the Williamson County Jail 20 times since 2002 with convictions for assaulting his mother and sister, driving while intoxicated, buying alcohol for a minor and several counts of marijuana possession. His Sept. 4 arrest stems from a theft case in which he was convicted for stealing copper wiring in 2011 in San Saba County.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Turner’s mother, Laquita, said she didn’t want to comment, but during a phone interview Monday she said she was hoping Turner had nothing to do with Colton’s disappearance.

Michael Turner and Work had been together for three years, she said, and “were just trying to make it.”

Brianna Spieldenner, Work’s friend who called police about Colton last week, said Turner started dating Work when she was pregnant with Colton and, though he never had steady employment, he provided for her during her pregnancy.

Spieldenner said it was easy for Work to give her son Turner’s name and not the name of Colton’s biological father, Brandon Pelfrey, who was serving time in prison on an aggravated assault charge.

Though Work “got worse after Mike,” according to Spieldenner, she also said that Work seemed to be a bad influence on him.

“Maybe he was not a great father,” she said. “But he was a better father than Meagan was a mother.”

Turner has said that he was at the hospital when Colton was born, three years ago this Sunday, according to his arrest affidavit. He told police that Colton was “his son.”

But on the website of the funeral home planning the child’s burial service, his name is no longer Colton Brandt Turner.

It’s Colton Turner Pelfrey.

Funeral services are not yet set, from what I can gather at this time.

http://cook-walden-davis.tributes.com/dignitymemorial/obituary/Colton-Turner-Pelfrey-101687162


(http://i.imgur.com/u4X76tT.jpg) (http://imgur.com/u4X76tT)
In Memory of
Colton Turner Pelfrey
Unknown

Arrangements under the direction of Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home, Georgetown, TX.

http://www.legacy.com/funeral-homes/texas/georgetown/cook-walden-davis-funeral-home/fh-4300
Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home


(http://i.imgur.com/u4X76tT.jpg) (http://imgur.com/u4X76tT)
In Memory of
Colton Turner Pelfrey
September 21, 2011 - September 12, 2014
Obituary

Colton Turner Pelfrey, age 2, was born on September 21, 2011 in Cedar Park. He was a sweet little boy full of life. He loved the great outdoors, playing in the mud and water with his daddy, and getting into things that boys do. His favorite movie was 'Planet of the Apes' and he enjoyed going to the park. His precious life was taken too soon.

Colton is preceded in death by his grandmother Talyeen Work and great-grandfather, Robert Pelfrey. Those left behind to cherish his memory are his father, Brandon Pelfrey of Bertram; grandparents, Kim and David Vidaure of Bertram, Sid Work and Marla Morgan of Austin, and David and Trina Pelfrey of Indiana; great-grandparents, Larry and Sue Cantrell of Briggs, Betty and Paul Cunningham of Leander, Donna Pelfrey of Indiana, Mary Viduare of Georgetown, Nikki Dunford of Jacksonville, James Wallmack of Troop, Clifferd Work of Jacksonville, and Jeri Jean Wunch of Bastrop; godmother, Brianna Spieldenner of Georgetown; and his Mimi, Jessica Click of Cedar Park. He is also survived by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Visitation and Funeral Services are currently pending with Cook-Walden/Davis Funeral Home.

(There is a guest book and also a photo gallery with 38 images)

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/26581907/more-than-10000-raised-for-colton-turners-funeral
More than $10,000 raised for Colton Turner's funeral
September 19, 2014

An online campaign to fund Colton Turner's funeral has raised more than $10,000.

Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home tells FOX 7 that local business are covering those expenses and that Colton's family will donate all of the money raised to four children's welfare charities in his name.

No funeral services have been announced yet.
 ::snipping3::
All the toys that were donated for Colton's 3rd birthday, which will be observed this weekend, will be donated to Angelheart, an organization for abused and neglected children in state care.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/21/community-to-remember-colton-turner-on-his-birthday/16021125/
Community to remember Colton Turner on his birthday
September 21, 2014

http://kxan.com/2014/09/21/cps-employees-could-be-fired-over-colton-turner-case/
CPS employees could be fired over Colton Turner case
Published September 21, 2014, Updated September 22, 2014

AUSTIN (KXAN) —  The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has confirmed to KXAN that Texas Child Protective Services employees could face “personnel actions” over the handling of the Colton Turner case. That includes possible termination or other disciplinary measures, according to officials.

DFPS spokesman Patrick Crimmins told KXAN Sunday that Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner John Specia Jr. will oversee the review. So far, the punishments and reviews have not been finalized

Investigators believe they found Colton Turner’s body buried in a Southeast Austin field on Sept. 12. Last week, KXAN revealed the CPS review. It is still not clear when the agency first learned about abuse complaints involving Colton.
 ::snipping3::
CPS “involvement” with Colton

The timeline on when the Texas Division of Child and Protective Services first learned about abuse complaints involving Colton remains unclear. But CPS spokeswoman Julie Moody told KXAN on Tuesday that the agency “had involvement” with Turner’s mother, Meagan Work. Work, along with her boyfriend and son’s namesake, Michael Brandt Turner, are both being held in the Travis County jail on $250,000 bond, jail records showed. They are both charged with tampering with evidence. Police have said further charges could be brought.

Moody also confirms to KXAN CPS staff decided on the evening of Sept. 12 to conduct an internal review into how its investigators handled any complaints. Law enforcement sources told KXAN Monday there were four known abuse complaints made to CPS regarding Colton’s well being. An Austin Police warrant affidavit released Monday requesting a search of Work’s Facebook page contends CPS ‘was advised’ of photos showing bruises and injuries on Colton’s back and face.

Moody would not confirm whether there was an active investigation into abuse complaints or that its staff could not find Meagan Work, as police officials indicated. A team of Cedar Park Police patrol officers and detectives located Work in hours, Chief Sean Mannix told KXAN Monday. Colton’s body was recovered in a shallow grave in Southeast Austin 42 hours after detectives received their first tip from the public the little boy had not been seen since midsummer. They were led there by Work’s boyfriend Michael Turner, the affidavit contends.

CPS will also conduct a standard death investigation. State law also requires CPS staff to fill out a form 2059 – a Summary of Client Needs. It could reveal more about how Colton was living before he disappeared – providing it turns out there was an investigation then. Police say his mother Meagan Work was living in her green Dodge pick-up truck for months when she was located last week. That truck has been through a forensic examination and is now in police lock-up, law enforcement officials confirmed.
 ::snipping3::

Colton Turner’s last days

Meanwhile, investigators spoke with Colton Turner’s mother, Meagan Work, and asked her if there would be any signs of injury to the boy’s body. According to the document, Work told officers there would be a large “bump” on his head from falling down days before. She also said there would probably be bruising on his body.

“Colton had hit his head on the air conditioning unit inside of the motel room as the result of Colton being assaulted. From that point, Colton was unable to walk and was not acting normal,” the document reads.

Investigators drove back to the San Saba County Jail to talk with Michael Turner about Colton’s injuries. According to the probable cause document, Turner told investigators the bump was Colton’s head “days before his death.”

When investigators asked Turner what he thought happened to the boy, he said Meagan had to have “done something” to him.

No murder charge yet

Both Meagan Work and Michael Turner are charged, but neither with murder. At least not yet. Work and Turner face charges of Tampering with Evidence for burying Colton’s body. But the case could become a murder case as more evidence is uncovered.

“I think they will wait and see what the autopsy shows and the search warrants they filed to see if there was prior bruising,” said legal expert and former prosecutor Mindy Montford. “They will piece all that together and determine what charge is appropriate.”

The arrest warrants filed do not say who is responsible for the assault which caused the injury which may have lead to Colton’s death, but a key piece of evidence for a murder charge could come from the testimony of the suspects themselves.

“You do see a lot of time with co-defendant’s, one will get a lesser charge if they cooperate,” said Montford. “I think (Michael Turner) is on probation right now so that could play into the motivation for him wanting to give law enforcement assistance.”

Police say Turner is the one who told them the truth about Colton’s death and led them to the body.

Tampering with Evidence is typically a 3rd degree felony (2-10 year sentence), however, when the evidence is a human body it can be enhanced to a 2nd degree (2-20 years). The enhancement for cases involving a human body came in response to the murder of Jennifer Cave who was murdered and dismembered in West Campus back in 2005.

If murder charges are filed, it is possible it could be tried as a Capital Murder case due to Colton Turner’s age.

http://kxan.com/2014/09/22/first-court-date-reset-in-colton-turner-case/
First court date reset in Colton Turner case
September 22, 2014

AUSTIN (KXAN) —  The first court date for Meagan Work and her boyfriend, Michael Brandt Turner, has been reset for Oct. 30 in connection to the death of 2-year-old Colton Brandt Turner. Initially, the date was set for this Tuesday. Work, Colton’s mother, and 29-year-old Michael Brandt Turner, both face a charge of tampering with physical evidence after police found Colton’s body buried in a shallow grave near Felter Lane in Southeast Austin on Friday. Colton was wrapped in a purple blanket, lying beneath a pile of wood and Sheetrock.

Work is being represented by Austin criminal defense attorney Darla Davis, who served as an assistant district attorney in Travis County for 13 years. Meanwhile, Turner — recently transferred to the Travis County Jail from San Saba County — is being represented by defense attorney William White. Both Worker and Turner are being held in the Travis County Jail on $250,000 bond, jail records showed on Sept. 16.

Meanwhile, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has confirmed to KXAN that Texas Child Protective Services employees could face “personnel actions” over the handling of the Colton Turner case. That includes possible termination or other disciplinary measures, according to officials.
More...

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/21/cps-expect-to-discipline-employees-involved-in-colton-turner-case/16032627/
Discipline expected for CPS workers in Colton Turner case
September 22, 2014

AUSTIN -- Officials for Texas Child Protective Services have confirmed they expect to discipline employees involved in the case of Colton Turner, according to KVUE's partners at the Austin American-Statesman.
 ::snipping3::
A CPS spokesman would not confirm the number of workers who face punishment, or what failures have been discovered as part of an internal investigation.

Law enforcement officials told KVUE News and the Statesman that they had received four complaints that Colton was a victim of abuse.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/24/former-cps-workers-say-caseloads-too-much/16175737/
Former CPS workers say caseloads too much
September 24, 2014

AUSTIN -- The Travis County Medical Examiners Office is unable to determine if the body recovered in Southeast Austin earlier this month is 2-year-old Colton Turner.

They've sent samples to a DNA lab at the University of North Texas.

 ::snipping3::

CPS is conducting multiple internal investigation into whether caseworkers were at fault in any way related to the recent death of Colton Turner.

A report should be out in the next week.

We checked to see just how overloaded caseworkers are right now. Last month, on average, a CPS caseworker in Travis County had 21.4 cases.

Williamson County caseworkers had 12.8 and for Hays County 14.2.

In June, a report was released calling for 'dramatic improvements' and changes to CPS. The report cited CPS would make changes within 90 days from the report's release.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/26619119/could-coltons-law-help-abused-children-survive
Could "Colton's Law" help abused children survive?
September 24, 2014

http://kxan.com/2014/09/25/medical-examiner-body-not-referred-to-as-colton-turner/
Medical Examiner: Body not referred to as Colton Turner
September 25, 2014

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Travis County Medical Examiner says the body found in Southeast Austin is not yet officially considered 2-year-old Colton Turner. Officials say they are awaiting scientific identification through DNA analysis. That’s happening at the University of North Texas, where specimens from the body of the unidentified child were sent.

Spokeswoman Sarah Scott also says the Medical Examiner’s Office is not releasing a cause of death on the child’s body, saying information is limited.

“The investigation is continuing, and there is a law enforcement objection to the release of information,” said Scott.
 ::snipping3::

http://kxan.com/2014/09/30/lawmakers-meet-to-curb-child-abuse-deaths-colton-turners-family-say-they-waant-new-law/
Colton Turner’s family says they want new law
Published September 30, 2014, Updated October 1, 2014

 ::MonkeyNoNo:: 


http://www.statesman.com/news/news/cps-failed-to-protect-colton-turner-state-report-s/nhZp8/
Report: CPS ‘failed to protect Colton Turner’
October 2, 2014

12 p.m. update: Despite learning in May about photos of a bruised and injured Colton Turner, Child Protective Services never asked for the photos or made a significant effort to find the child, according to the six-page report released by the state.
The American-Statesman reported last month that the agency was expected to discipline workers who handled the case.
In the report released today, Family and Protective Services blasts its own work in the case, saying investigator Diana Cortinaz:
Did not ask for the photos or take action on a report that Colton “had visible injuries and looked ill in photographs posted on the mother’s Facebook page.”
Did not initiate a joint investigation with law enforcement
Did not see the boy after March 2014, despite additional reports of abuse in May and June
Did not appropriately investigate Colton’s living conditions
 
Meanwhile, supervisors were accused of not tracking other children who were not being seen in a timely manner. The state also says supervisor Liza De Leon failed to ensure that investigations were being initiated, thoroughly conducted and completed.
Over a period of two years, Child Protective Services received six reports alleging that Colton was being abused. The agency conducted four investigations.
According to the personnel action recommending her dismissal, Cortinaz said she told De Leon that she was not contacting families in a timely manner but that a supervisor helped develop a plan to see the children. Cortinaz, however, said that she did not follow up on that plan.
The personnel action also says that the investigator did not tell De Leon about the June abuse report or ask for help, even though she had received support in the past.
More...

http://kxan.com/2014/10/02/cps-workers-fired-in-colton-turner-case/
CPS workers fired in Colton Turner case
Read full CPS investigation below
Published: October 2, 2014, 9:42 am    Updated: October 2, 2014, 8:31 pm

October 24, 2014 Tweets
https://twitter.com/KXAN_News (https://twitter.com/KXAN_News)

KXAN News @KXAN_News  ·  6s 6 seconds ago
MORE: New charges coming in #ColtonTurner case.
http://bit.ly/10rCalE

 KXAN News @KXAN_News  ·  8m 8 minutes ago
New charges have been filed int he #ColtonTurner case. There is an 11:30 news conference for more details. We'll stream it live.

http://kxan.com/2014/10/24/new-charges-filed-in-colton-turner-case/
New charges filed in Colton Turner case
October 24, 2014

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Additional charges are being filed in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of 4-year-old Colton Turner, Austin Police announced Friday.

An 11:30 a.m. news conference has been called, where police are expected to give more details about the case.

Turner’s mother, Megan Work is being held in the Travis County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bond in connection with the boy’s disappearance. Her boyfriend, Michael Brandt Turner, is also facing charges.
 ::snipping3::

 ::MonkeyTears::


http://www.statesman.com/news/news/new-charges-expected-in-colton-turner-case/nhrF2/
Police: Colton’s remains ID’d; mother charged with felonies
October 24, 2014

11:50 a.m. update: Meagan Work has been charged with two first-degree felonies and her boyfriend, Michael Turner, has been charged with one first-degree felony in the death of her son, 2-year-old Colton Turner, Austin police announced Friday.
Work has been charged with injury to a child and injury to a child by omission, while Michael Turner has been charged with injury to a child by omission, police said. The felonies are punishable by up to life in prison. Bail has been set at $750,000 on each charge.
A co-worker of Turner’s came forward and told police that he witnessed Work assaulting Colton before he died, officials said.
Officials said the remains found in a shallow grave in September were identified Thursday as Colton. Investigators were waiting for the remains to be identified before filing further charges, police said.
A co-worker of Turner’s told police on Sept. 17 that he witnessed Work slapping a child with her hands while they were seated in the front seat of a truck, Austin police Cmdr. Mark Spangler said. The man said he then saw Work put the boy outside of the truck and while he was still crying, she picked him up and “forcefully shook him and slammed his head against the interior passenger door of the vehicle,” Spangler said.
The man said Work next threw him in the back seat of the truck,” Spangler said. Within seconds, according to the man, Michael Turner got into the truck and they left.
Spangler said the man was haunted by what he saw.

http://kxan.com/2014/10/24/new-charges-filed-in-colton-turner-case/
Colton Turner’s mom, her boyfriend face new charges
October 24, 2014

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Additional charges have filed in connection with the disappearance and death of 2-year-old Colton Turner, Austin Police announced Friday.

Turner’s mother, Meagan Work is facing felony charges of injury child and injury to a child by omission. and is being held on $750,000 bond. Her boyfriend, Michael Brandt Turner, is also facing charges of injury to a child by omission. He is also being held on $750,000 bond.

When asked why they not file homicide or murder charges, Austin Police homicide division commander Mark Spangler said the charges filed today carry the same penalties as murder. The first degree felony charges, he said, are the most appropriate charges and a Grand Jury could determine homicide charges are justified.

A first degree felony carries a penalty of 5-99 years in prison in Texas along with a $10,000 fine.
 ::snipping3::
Austin Police found a child’s body in Southeast Austin after Michael Turner led police to the place where he said he buried the body. Friday, Spangler announced DNA tests confirmed the body was that of Colton Turner.

The investigation into the boy’s death prompted The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to fire three employees after determining the agency “failed” Colton Turner. An investigation showed several case workers failed to complete all the necessary steps while investigating reports of neglect and abuse.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/27171352/fox-7-exclusive-colton-turners-aunt-speaks
FOX 7 EXCLUSIVE: Colton Turner's aunt speaks
Posted: Oct 30, 2014 10:07 PM CDT
Updated: Oct 31, 2014 12:59 PM CDT

The disappearance and death of Colton Turner this past summer devastated the community and his family.

The toddler was found dead in a shallow grave in September after he was reported missing. Colton's mother, Meagan Work, is facing felony charges of injury to a child and injury to a child by omission. She is being held on $750,000 bond.

Colton's aunt, Sydney Work, spoke exclusively to FOX 7's Elizabeth Saab, revealing never-before-heard details leading up to the tragedy.
More...

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/11/01/colton-turner-laid-to-rest/18355187/
Colton Turner laid to rest
November 1, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/Spqcyvtl.jpg) (http://imgur.com/Spqcyvt)

(http://i.imgur.com/OVokuD3l.jpg) (http://imgur.com/OVokuD3)

AUSTIN -- About 100 people gathered to say goodbye to Cedar Park toddler, Colton Turner, more than seven weeks after police found his body in a shallow grave.
 ::snipping3::
During an emotional service at Shoreline Church, pictures of Colton and his biological father Brandon Pelfrey showed on two screens inside the church. Surrounded by the tiny green casket were Colton's favorite toys.

Pastor Dr. Kevin Hull tried to comfort not only family and friends, but many in the community whose hearts have been touched by Colton's story.

"We might not fully understand why this has happened on this earth," Hull said. "We may never know the full answers as to why this tragedy has taken place, but if you don't walk out of here with anything else than this, I want each one of you to know within this room: This isn't something the father did; this isn't something our Heavenly Father caused."
After the funeral, most of the 100 people in attendance followed in procession to Bagdad Cemetery in Leander where Colton Turner's body was laid to rest.

Also at the funeral and graveside ceremony, were cousins and representing Work's side of the family.

Video

http://kxan.com/2014/11/01/colton-turner-to-be-remembered-at-funeral-saturday/
2-year-old Colton Turner laid to rest
November 1, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/htNoqC6.jpg) (http://imgur.com/htNoqC6)
(Paul Shelton / KXAN)

 ::snipping3::
The public funeral service for Colton was Saturday afternoon at Shoreline Church. Funeral expenses were covered by Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home in Georgetown. Hundreds also donated to an online fund to help pay for burial costs, including a headstone.

“We find ourselves not only giving him a proper burial today but the story will continue on through the trial and everything else moving forward,” the pastor said.

Before Colton was buried at Bagdad Cemetery in Leander, family and friends released blue balloons and a single dove into the sky: a symbol of hope and a tribute to the toddler many have come to know.

Although the toddler was found in mid-September, it took weeks to positively identify his body using DNA testing.

Turner’s mother, Meagan Work is facing felony charges of injury to a child in relation to Colton’s death. She is in the Travis County Jail on $750,000 bond. Her boyfriend, Michael Brandt Turner, is also facing charges of injury to a child by omission. He is also being held on $750,000 bond.

Video with Balloon Release

 ::MonkeyTears::

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/11/12/funeral-home-to-collect-toys-in-honor-of-colton-turner/18904051/
Funeral home to collect toys in honor of Colton Turner
November 12, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/xPb0TVTl.jpg) (http://imgur.com/xPb0TVT)
(photo KVUE)


AUSTIN -- Cook-Walden Funeral Homes has announced that its five local locations will collect toys for "Colton's Christmas" in honor of Colton Turner, the Cedar Park toddler found dead in September.

Cook-Walden said it will collect new, unwrapped toys and gift cards from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15 to benefit children in need through Angelheart Kids.
(More)

http://angelheartkids.org/

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/27380377/colton-turners-biological-father-hopes-to-make-coltons-law-a-reality
Colton Turner's biological father hopes to make Colton's Law a reality
November 13, 2014

Video at link

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/27410390/dash-cam-video-captures-meagan-work-and-boyfriend-two-weeks-before-colton-turner-was-found
Dash cam video captures Meagan Work and boyfriend two weeks before Colton Turner was found
November 17, 2014

Dash cam video captured Colton Turner's mother and her boyfriend two weeks before the toddler's remains were found.

Leander police pulled over Meagan Work's green truck in late August. Her boyfriend Michael Turner was behind the wheel.

Turner was arrested for a probation revocation. He was taken to San Saba.

A few weeks later he would admit to police where he and Work buried her two year old son.

Two years earlier the couple was arrested for cruelty to livestock. They were booked separately. Police say it's because they were guardians to a small child.

This dash cam video shows Meagan in the back of a police car the night she was arrested.

Video

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/colton-turners-mother-boyfriend-scheduled-to-appea/njJ8y/
Colton Turner’s mother, boyfriend scheduled to appear in court
December 2, 2014

Meagan Work and her boyfriend, Michael Turner, who face criminal charges in connection with the death of Work’s son, 2-year-old Colton Turner, are scheduled for their first court date Tuesday in Travis County.

Work was charged with injury to a child, injury to a child by omission and tampering with physical evidence. Turner was charged injury to a child by omission and tampering with physical evidence.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/12/02/colton-turner-mother-her-boyfriend-to-appear-in-court/19770877/
Colton Turner's mother, her boyfriend's court appearance postponed
December 2, 2014

AUSTIN -- The mother of Colton Turner and her boyfriend's court appearance Tuesday was postponed.

Meagan Work and her boyfriend, Michael Turner, were scheduled to appear in court in connection with the toddler's death.

Work and Turner are charged with tampering with physical evidence for hiding Colton Turners's death by burying the 2-year-old in a shallow grave.

In November, Work was charged with injury to a child and injury to a child by omission. Turner was charged with injury to a child by omission.

The couple admitted to burying Colton's body in a Southeast Austin field on July 8.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/27375931/christmas-toy-drive-in-honor-of-colton-turner
Christmas toy drive held in honor of Colton Turner
Posted: Nov 13, 2014 9:48 AM CST
Updated: Dec 15, 2014 10:13 PM CST

(http://i.imgur.com/eUipZsi.jpg) (http://imgur.com/eUipZsi)



Cook-Walden Funeral Homes collected toys for "Colton's Christmas" from November 15 to December 15 to benefit children in need through Angelheart Kids. Members of the community were asked to bring new, unwrapped toys to any of the five Cook-Walden Funeral Homes during regular business hours throughout the donation drive.
 ::snipping3::

 ::MonkeyNoNo::   

(http://i.imgur.com/OmiAFDK.jpg) (http://imgur.com/OmiAFDK)

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/28039992/mother-of-three-year-old-who-died-over-the-weekend-was-friends-with-colton-turners-mother
Mother of three-year-old who died over the weekend was friends with Colton Turner's mother
Posted February 5, 2015, Updated February 6, 2015

A child's death in Round Rock is sending shockwaves through the community, the little boy died over the weekend.

His mother's boyfriend is being charged with capital murder.

This was an especially tragic death, not only because the little boy was killed inside the home, but also because of the connection to Colton Turner, the little boy whose body was found in a shallow grave just six months ago.

Andreas Tapia and Turner's mothers were friends. They went to Leander High School together along with Brianna Spieldenner. The three were all together at Colton's last birthday party.

“What freaked me out the most is the two kids from this party are dead now. He was active and playing the whole time, he was happy just like Colton,” Spieldenner told FOX 7 reporter Elizabeth Saab.

Round Rock police say they the 911 call came in shortly after midnight. When they arrived the child was unconscious. The boy's mother, Desiree Eatmon was not at home at the time. Police say she had left the child in her boyfriend Christian Rodriguez's care. They also say Eatmon's mother and father were in the home at the time as were her brother and his girlfriend.

Rodriguez, according to court records, admitted to throwing the three year old across the room causing the injuries that led to his death.

He was arrested on Wednesday and is being held without bond.

“Officers arrived shortly after ems and fire arrived we found the child upstairs unconscious - he was deceased,” said Alain Babin with Round Rock PD.

Unlike in Turner's case, no one inside this home has a history with the agency, according to CPS.

CPS is investigating this case.

Eatmon and Rodriguez do have a child together. We understand that child has been placed with other family for now.
 ::snipping3::

http://kxan.com/2015/03/04/cps-worker-firings-substantiated-after-colton-turner-death-state/
CPS worker firings ‘substantiated’ after Colton Turner death
March 5, 2015


AUSTIN (KXAN) – Six months after police discovered Colton Turner’s tiny body in a Southeast Austin grave, a state investigative agency has substantiated allegations that resulted in the firing of three Texas Child Protective Services workers in September.

KXAN obtained the two-page summary report from the Health and Human Services Commission’s Office of Inspector General, whose officers looked into allegations a CPS program director, supervisor and child welfare investigator failed to follow CPS handbook policies. The report reveals new detail about how the trio did not follow those guidelines.

The review of the case points out the previous CPS history with two open cases at the time 2-year-old Colton Turner died and how “the Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and concluded the child died as result of homicide, and cause of death was unknown.”

The OIG report concluded the fired CPS employees followed established CPS policies and procedures but:

failed to locate the child’s family
failed to provide adequate guidance to staff
failed to follow up with staff
More...

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/texas-news/2015/03/06/texas-cps-cases-failures/24486369/
4 cases in which CPS mistakes contributed to deaths
March 6, 2015

Colton Turner, 2, was found buried in a shallow grave in Austin in September 2014. His mother and stepfather have been charged with injury with a child in connection with the toddler's death. A Texas Department of Family and Protective Services investigation concluded there had been a litany of failures on the part of the CPS investigator. That investigation found that the investigator failed to try to find Colton or to obtain copies of photos after finding out that pictures of the boy showing him with marks and bruises had appeared on his mother's Facebook page. It also faulted the CPS worker for not appropriately investigating Colton's living conditions. The investigator and two supervisors were fired. (Source: Austin American-Statesman)
 ::snipping3::

http://kxan.com/2015/03/10/cps-colton-turners-mom-gives-birth-boy-in-foster-care/
CPS: Colton Turner’s mom gives birth, boy in foster care
March 10, 2015

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Colton Turner’s mother, Meagan Work, recently gave birth to a boy while in custody, a Child Protective Services spokesperson said. The newborn was placed into foster care Feb. 13, and a family court judge will ultimately decide who will care for the child.
 ::snipping3::
Work and her boyfriend, Michael Brandt Turner, are both in jail charged with injury to a child in the 2-year-old’s death and have been behind bars since his body was discovered.
In the wake of the boy’s death, three CPS workers were fired. A state investigation found a CPS program director, supervisor and child welfare investigator failed to follow CPS handbook policies. Those allegations were ‘substantiated’ this month in a report released by the Health and Human Services Commission.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2015/03/10/cps-takes-newborn-baby-from-colton-turners-mother/24725365/
CPS takes newborn baby from Colton Turner's mother
March 10, 2015

AUSTIN -- Six months after 2-year-old Colton Turner's body was found buried in a shallow grave in southeast Austin, Child Protective Services officials have taken another child out of her possession.

Police said Meagan Work and her boyfriend buried her son's 2-year-old body after the toddler was assaulted. She had another child while in custody, and CPS officials filed court records seeking to place the infant in state custody.

On Monday, State District Judge Darlene Byrne held a hearing to consider where the baby will live. Byrne confirmed she appointed a lawyer for the infant and appointed a family attorney to represent Work in the civil matter relating to child custody. Officials said Byrne will likely decide in coming days whether to allow Work's new baby to live with a family member or place the child in foster care.

Police revealed in September that Work was about four months pregnant, but authorities have released no additional information about her pregnancy. A number of questions remain about the birth of Work's baby, including whether she delivered the infant at the hospital or in jail. Turner is presumed to be the father. It also is unclear whether police allowed her to spend any time with her baby before taking the infant away. Those and many other details in the matter are confidential.

Investigators have charged 20-year-old Work with injury to a child. Her boyfriend, Michael Brandt Turner, is charged with injury to a child by omission. A witness told police that he saw Work slam Colton's head against a truck, shaking him and slapping him on July 7, soon before the child was reported missing.

According to an affidavit, Work told police conflicting stories about her son's whereabouts after he was reported missing. When they questioned Turner, he later confessed to police that Colton was actually dead, and he led them to the grave off Felter Lane in southeast Austin.

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Texas-Woman-Charged-In-Young-Sons-Death-Gives-Birth-In-Jail-295936501.html
Texas Woman Charged In Young Son’s Death Gives Birth In Jail
March 11, 2015

AUSTIN (March 11, 2015) A Cedar Park woman who was charged after the body of her 2-year-old son was found in a shallow grave has given birth to another boy in jail.

Officials with Child Protective Services are seeking custody of the baby who was born last month to Meagan Work.

The remains of her toddler, Colton, were discovered last September in a field.

A judge appointed an attorney on Monday for the newborn, who was placed with CPS for foster care following birth.

Authorities haven't publicly named the father.

Work and her boyfriend, Michael Turner, remained jailed Wednesday on charges including injury to a child in Colton's death.
 ::snipping3::

http://kxan.com/2015/03/18/law-to-help-children-like-colton-turner-a-priority/
Law to help children like Colton Turner a priority
March 18, 2015

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Another priority laid out by Gov. Greg Abbott is the safety of Texas children, especially the safety of children involved with Child Protective Services. A new bill is moving through the state Legislature that would help children like Colton Turner. The 2-year-old was found dead in Southeast Austin last year. At that time, Child Protective Services had two open cases into his welfare.

The new legislation would allow Department of Public Safety troopers to pick up the child if CPS couldn’t find him or her. It also does away with jurisdiction issues.

Just a couple of weeks before Colton’s death, state Rep. Marsha Farney says officers spoke to Colton. She told us on State of Texas In-depth that they wish they had known he needed to be picked up.
 ::snipping3::


“And the officers have said, and the sheriff has said, ‘We wish we had known. If we had known, we would have taken the child then.’ So law enforcement wants to have this done,” said Farney.

A hearing on the bill is still pending.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2015/04/08/cps-law-enforcement-police-colton-turner/25490687/
Advocates rally for passage of 'Colton's Law'
April 8, 2015

AUSTIN -- On the south steps of the State Capitol, a fight to bring change after the death of 2-year-old Colton Turner. His great-aunt, his father, friends and law enforcement held photographs of the smiling toddler as they push to pass House Bill 2053, known as "Colton's Law."

"It is bittersweet because it doesn't save Colton, but it could have," said Colton's great-aunt Raquel Helfrich.
The legislation gives law enforcement immediate access to the names of children and their parents who Child Protective Services is looking for. The information is put in the same database officers search during routine traffic stops to find warrants.

Milam County Sheriff's Deputies pulled over Colton and his mother, Meagan Work and others, in February 2014 for a traffic stop, just months before his death. Deputies had no idea CPS was looking for them, so they did not alert the agency.

In September, investigators found Colton's body in a shallow grave in Southeast Austin. Work and her boyfriend, Michael Turner, are in jail accused of burying him there after Colton died from a head injury in July.

"If we had the information something more was going on, we could have done something," said Milam County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Chris White.

The Milam County Sheriff's Department, along with the Austin Police Department are backing Colton's Law. It gives officers the legal ability to detain a family until a CPS worker arrives.

"There are thousands of other children who fall off CPS radar every year because their parents deliberately run and hide from CPS," said family friend Liz St. Clair.
 ::snipping3::

http://kxan.com/2015/04/08/colton-turners-family-to-rally-at-capitol-ahead-of-hearing/
Colton’s law passes House committee
April 8, 2015

AUSTIN (KXAN) — House Bill 2053, also known as Colton’s Law, passed the House Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Wednesday evening. It’s a bill aimed to keep kids under the watch of Child Protective Services safe.

The bill is named after 2-year old Colton Turner, who was found buried in a shallow grave in Southeast Austin last September. There were two open cases into Colton’s welfare before police found his body. CPS workers had said they couldn’t find Colton, despite their best efforts.

This new bill would allow the Department of Public Safety to step in. It would be up to CPS to notify them and have the child placed on a child safety check alert list. That way, if the parents are found by DPS, they have the authority to detain them, the child and their car while CPS is notified. The bill essentially takes away any type of jurisdiction issues. Colton’s mother had several run-ins with law enforcement when her son was missing, but they had no way of knowing CPS was looking for her and Colton.
 ::snipping3::

Meanwhile, Colton’s mother and her boyfriend remain in jail — charged in connection with his death. Just last month, we learned that Meagan Work gave birth to another boy. He was then placed in foster care. Both Work and her boyfriend, Michael Turner, are scheduled to have a court hearing next week.

Sweet little angel boy Colton.   ::MonkeyAngel::  It breaks my heart to look at his photo and know he suffered, died and was buried in a shallow grave.  Beyond sad.  ::MonkeyTears::


http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2015/04/12/colton-turners-mother-to-appear-for-pre-trial-hearing-monday/25678503/
Colton Turner's mother to appear for pre-trial hearing Monday
April 12, 2015

(http://i.imgur.com/ZOj1UuEm.png) (http://imgur.com/ZOj1UuE)
(Photo: Courtesy)

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas -- Meagan Work, the mother charged last September with the murder of her two-year-old son, will appear for a pre-trial hearing on Monday.

The remains of Colton Turner were found in a shallow grave in Southeast Austin after a search for the missing boy. Work and Turner said they buried him after he died when he hit his head during a seizure.

The Cedar Park woman and her boyfriend Michael Turner were then charged in the death of Colton.

Police say Child Protective Services received four reports of abuse towards Colton during his short life.

 ::MonkeyTears::

Plea deal?!

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/28786260/colton-turners-mother-caught-smirking-in-court
Colton Turner's Mother Caught Smirking in Court
April 13, 2015

Colton Turner's mother Meagan Work and her boyfriend Michael Turner appeared for the first time in court Monday. The two are charged in connection with the two-year-old toddler's death, police say they buried him in a shallow grave in Southeast Austin.

The toddler's family was ushered into and out of the courtroom, and sat in the front row.

Meagan Work had a smirk on her face when she was brought in and out of the courtroom. In an exclusive interview with FOX 7 after the hearing, two of Colton's Great Aunts, Diane Battles and Raquel Helfrich, talked about the anger they felt.

"The way she looked in the court room today, she feels like she's done nothing wrong. You could tell by the smile on her face," says Colton's Great Aunt Diane Battles.

Work did not acknowledge her own family (including her Aunt Raquel Helfrich) who was in the front row or Colton's father and his family. All were seated together.

"The fact that she could do all of that and not have any regard at all for what she did to Colton," says Helfrich,"it's infuriating to watch considering what he went through."

Work and Michael Turner were both in court for a pretrial hearing. Both clad in a prison jumpsuit and handcuffs, they appeared separately.

The pair were there for what's called a status check as they've both been behind bars for about six months. Neither have been formally arraigned yet.

The state's prosecutor told Judge David Wahlberg there is yet more evidence that needs to be turned over to both defense teams. The Judge set the next hearing for May 11, which is coincidentally Meagan Work's birthday.

Helfrich says that is fitting.

"That's exactly what she should get for her birthday and the punishment that she's got coming," she said.

Could a deal be looming though?

Prosecutors spoke to Colton Turner's father and grandmother before the hearing. They talked about an amount of time that might be enough to offer Work and Turner in exchange for a plea.

"I keep telling myself that they keep setting it back because they need to be able to charge her and sentence her to the max," says Battles.

From the bench Judge Wahlberg said if there is a trial, it will likely start in December.

The charges against Work and Michael Turner were upgraded when police say a witness came forward to say he saw Work slam her son's head against a truck they were both in. That head injury is what police believe caused his death. It's not clear if there is surveillance video from the area but that could be part of the evidence that prosecutors were referring to.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/28803353/spot-it-stop-it-helping-texas-most-vulnerable-children
Spot It Stop It: Helping Texas' most vulnerable children
April 14, 2015

The Travis County Center for Child Protection hopes to help stop the cycle of child abuse and neglect with a new statewide campaign “Spot It Stop It”.

Michael Torres, Executive Director of Center for Child Protection says, "research tells us that only 38% of child sexual assault victims reported the crime.” Torres goes on to say “we wanted to challenge people's perception of what child abuse really is and where it occurs”

Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo, The Child Advocacy Center's Executive Director Michael Torres and DFPS Commissioner John Specia were all on hand Tuesday rallying the public to listen.

Judge John Specia, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) Commissioner says, “child abuse and neglect is a public health problem, it is a community problem”

DFPS is also looking into the way abuse reports are sorted through. Nine reports on Colton Turner passed through the Child Abuse Hotline and on to local police departments including APD.

“we're have a third party, an advocacy center, looking at all of the various reports, at all the various law enforcement and coordinating the activities of CPS and law enforcement together” according to the DFPS Commissioner.

Meagan Webb with the Center for Child Protection says, “I'm reviewing the reports which are usually about between 50-60 a day, sometimes upwards of 80.”

 ::snipping3::

www.SpotitStopit.org

It's sad, but from what I can gather, there were numerous complaints made regarding suspected abuse during Colton Turner's short life.  Yes, indeed it is important to report suspected abuse, but I hope no more children will fall through the cracks as Colton did.  I hope Colton's law will give children more of a chance.   




http://kxan.com/2015/04/17/williamson-co-advocacy-center-dedicates-area-to-colton-turner/
Williamson Co. advocacy center dedicates area to Colton Turner
Published April 17, 2015, Updated April 18, 2015

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — In honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Williamson County hosted a special ceremony in Colton Turner’s memory.

The Children’s Advocacy Center in Georgetown hosted an open house debuting three newly-renovated playrooms inside. Those rooms are now reserved in a hallway called Colton’s Way. The center hopes this area provides a sanctuary for other children.

Meanwhile, the toddler’s family says they hope “Colton’s Way” will help in the fight against child abuse.

“We can use this opportunity to ask our community to pay attention,” said Lexi Harris, Colton’s cousin. “When you see abuse, report it. Be a voice for kids like Colton that can’t speak for themselves.

A number of state legislators attended the event, including State Representative Marsha Farney who sponsored “Colton’s Law.”
Video

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/meagan-work-pleads-not-guilty-in-july-death-of-son/nmDWG/
Meagan Work pleads not guilty in July death of son, Colton Turner
May 11, 2015

Meagan Work appeared in court Monday and pleaded not guilty to felony charges in the July death of her 2-year-old son, Colton Turner, whom prosecutors say was buried in Southeast Austin by Work and her husband.

Work, who is charged with injury to a child and tampering with evidence, rejected plea agreements offered from the state. Prosecutors offered her 50 years in prison on each of the two injury to a child offenses and 20 years in prison on a tampering charge.

Judge David Wahlberg set her next hearing for July 20. Jury selection in her trial will begin Nov. 12.

Her lawyer, Darla Davis, requested that prosecutors turn over a copy of her interview with law enforcement investigators.

Walhberg also has appointed defense lawyer Steve Brand as the new attorney for her husband, Michael Brandt Turner, after his previous lawyer, Bill White, died this month. The father is charged with injury to a child by omission.

Outside the courtroom, Brand, a former prosecutor, said he needed time to catch up on the case and would be looking at it from a different lens than law enforcement.

Work who has remained incarcerated at the Travis County Jail since her arrest, gave birth to another child in March. Travis County sheriff’s spokesman Roger Wade said deputies typically take mothers to a hospital to deliver a child, but he would not comment on Work’s case because of federal medical privacy laws.

In a case that drew national attention and raised questions about the state’s handling of child abuse reports, police say Work and Turner buried Colton’s body in a field after he was assaulted in July.

Police initially sought assistance to help find Colton, who was first reported missing in September. His body was found within days, and police later learned he had been dead for two months.

According to arrest affidavits, Work told police a variety of stories about what happened to her son: That Colton was with a friend, that he’d been kidnapped from a car, and that she had given him away to a couple she had met at a fast-food restaurant. The affidavit said she finally told investigators he died in a motel room.

Police have said Turner led them to Colton’s grave.

A witness in the case later told police that he had seen Work slam Colton’s head against a truck door hours before he likely died. He recalled that he saw Work shaking Colton and yelling at him, police said.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/29036701/colton-turners-mother-meagan-work-spends-21st-birthday-in-court
Colton Turner's mother, Meagan Work, spends 21st birthday in court
May 11, 2015


Colton Turner's mother spent her 21st birthday in a Travis County Court room. On Monday, clad in prison stripes and flanked by sheriff's deputies Work formally answered to the charges she is facing in connection with her son's death.

She pleaded "not guilty" to two first degree felony charges of injury to a child and injury to a child by omission; and "not guilty" to a second degree felony charge of tampering with evidence.
 ::snipping3::
Work was arrested in September. Her boyfriend, Michael Turner, was already jailed on a prior charge. Police say in separate interviews, they both admitted to burying the child in July after he suffered a blow to the head. Work told police that the three of them had been staying in a motel room. When asked about the bump on her son's head, she told police he had hit his "head on an air conditioning unit inside of the motel room as a result of Colton being assaulted by Michael."

But court records show after Colton's remains were found in September, a witness came forward. He told police he saw Work and Colton in July. They were parked behind the building where Turner worked. The witness then said he saw Work slam her child's head against the door of the truck. There are cameras on the back of the building, but only those involved in the case know if it was captured on camera.

Despite an eyewitness account and possibly video evidence, Work has not been charged with murder.

"I think people are getting a little tied up on and wed to the idea of murder being the charge," says former Travis County Prosecutor Mindy Montford. "Injury to a child is the same felony degree as the murder charge." She adds, murder is much harder to prove, "you have to show that the person intentionally and knowingly caused the death."

When Work first appeared in court last month, Judge David Wahlberg ordered the state to offer her a plea deal before setting a trial date, which is likely to start in December.

In court on Monday, the state said they offered her fifty years for each felony charge, and twenty for tampering with evidence.

Montford isn't surprised that Work's team rejected it.

"60 years is really going to be the maximum, so to have a plea bargain for 50, a lot of attorneys would advise their clients to go ahead and go forward with the trial. And either try to get an acquittal or at least try to get it reduced for punishment," she says.

A reduced punishment that either Work or her boyfriend could try to get before jury selection gets underway in November.

"This is the time when you are going to see if it happens, one of these defendants will turn on the other."

Turner, is also facing injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence charges. Well-known Austin Defense Attorney Bill White had been appointed to represent him. But White died last week. Former Travis County Prosecutor Steven Brand was appointed on Monday. "We're just looking to go through all of the evidence that the State claims they have against him and we will have access to the evidence against Meagan work," Brand said as he left the court room on Monday.

Brand also says there's more to the story than what's been reported, "When the media hears something, they are going to hear from one side and that's the police department. There's always another side."

Michael Turner was not in court on Monday, and has not been formally charged. Sources say he too was offered a plea deal. Neither his attorney or the State would comment. Brand will be back in court for another hearing in May though he says his client is not likely to appear.

Meagan Work's attorney, Darla Davis would not comment on her client either, leaving the court room through a back entrance. During her client's hearing, Davis did tell Judge Wahlberg she plans to file a motion to "suppress the evidence" against her client.

Montford says it's all part of pre-trial strategy.

"Any statement they made is going to be harped on at trial," she says referring to Work and Turner's interviews with police. "So any defense strategy is going to be right off the bat to try to get those statements suppressed, as if Meagan had never made any of them to begin with."

That hearing is scheduled to take place in July.
 ::snipping3::

guess we will have to wait and see who turns on whom.

They are both POS in my opinion.

 ::MonkeyMad::

I just saw this headline/article this morning. I'm not certain what the revisions were specifically, but it looks like the changes watered down the original intent.  If I get time this weekend, I'll see if I can do some research. 

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/29139339/family-of-colton-turner-upset-with-coltons-law
Family of Colton Turner upset with Colton's Law
May 22, 2015


The family of Colton Turner says Texas lawmakers are doing a disservice to at-risk children.

They are upset that the bill named after him, Colton's Law, will no longer require the Texas Department of Public Safety to keep track of children who fall through the cracks of CPS.

The original bill moved out of the Texas House of Representatives on a unanimous vote.

That bill compelled the Department of Public Safety to look for those children that the CPS had lost track of.

But since then, there have been several revisions.

Now Colton's family says the bill named after him will not do what it was intended to do.
 ::snipping3::

http://kxan.com/2015/08/03/meagan-works-attorney-wants-judge-to-block-evidence/
Meagan Work’s attorney wants judge to block evidence
Published August 3, 2015, Updated August 4, 2015

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The mother accused of injuring her child and tampering with evidence in connection to two-year-old Colton Turner’s death appeared in court Monday afternoon for a pre-trial hearing. Meagan Work’s attorneys wants the judge to block evidence taken when she was first questioned and detained.

Last year police received a tip about a Facebook picture officers said showed Colton with bruises on him. Investigators searched for the boy to check on him but later found the toddler’s body in a shallow grave in East Austin last September

For nearly four hours a judge heard from witnesses, mainly Cedar Park Police Officers, who detained and questioned Work.

“We believe, as you will see during this hearing is, that as soon as this investigation started the rulebook immediately went out the window.” said Darla Davis, Meagan Work’s attorney.

Davis told the court she believes her client was wrongfully detained and questioned. She alleges Cedar Park Police took Work’s property like her cell phone, keys, purse and truck without a search warrant when police found her at a friends out on Sept. 10, 2014.

Davis also said Work asked for an attorney and wasn’t given one. Davis said Work also stayed at the Cedar Park Police Department for 24 hours even though police said she was not under arrest. Work’s attorney also alleged that her client repeatedly told police she was pregnant, was sick and was only given a breakfast taco and water after being there for about 12 hours.

Three of the ten witnesses took the stand Monday and described what exactly happened the night they spoke with Work.

“What she was telling us didn’t make sense, like I said, it was too easy to put holes in, nothing stood up,” said Sgt. Robert Boyd with the Cedar Park Police Department.

He explained how he received a call about a possible child abuse situation and searched for Meagan and her boyfriend, Michael Turner, but didn’t find them. He said, once they located Meagan, they were most concerned with where her son was.

“It wasn’t tense, it wasn’t heated it was just more we were trying to find out where Colton was at,” said Sgt. Boyd as he described how they talked to Meagan.

Boyd said Work told them Colton was near Houston and that she texted a friend to lie to police and tell them he was there.

Officers told the court Work seemed evasive. When they showed her pictures of Colton with bruising she asked them, “How do you know that the photos weren’t Photoshopped?”

“As a parent, in my 24 years as an officer and delivering really bad messages to parents, I never heard that kind of response, I knew immediately something bad had happened,” said Cpl. Bill Guthrie who was also there the night police detained Work.

Besides witness testimony, other evidence like dash cam video from outside the house she was staying was shown in court as evidence.

The pre-trial hearing is expected to continue Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in front of Judge David Wahlberg. It could last through Wednesday. Her trial is expected to be in November of this year. Michael Turner is still in custody and will have a pre-trial next month.

Neither Work or Turner are charged with murder, but Austin Police say the charge of injury to a child carries the same punishment as murder.
 ::snipping3::

Video

Even though we need to see both Meagan Work and Michael Turner go to trial and see the evidence presented, I believe Meagan Work is evil and was cruel to her young son over his short life span and I believe she was responsible for his death.   I have this opinion from reading the news, which includes statements from her own family.  While I do believe she is guilty of crimes against Colton Turner, I have concerns with the procedures in regard to the Cedar Park Police Dept.  If they have violated Meagan Work's rights, they may very well jeopardize the case. 

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/crime/2015/08/03/meagan-works-hearing--resume-tuesday/31080405/
Meagan Work's evidence hearing continues
August 4, 2015

AUSTIN -- Meagan Work, the woman charged with tampering with evidence and injury to a child in the death of her 2-year-old son Colton Turner, appeared in a Travis County courtroom on Tuesday during the second day of an evidence hearing.

Work's lawyers are attempting to suppress statements and confessions she made to law enforcement following her arrest in September 2014. Her attorneys hope a Travis County judge will throw out evidence against her ahead of her trial this fall.

Work entered the courtroom Tuesday afternoon wearing a striped jail suit and handcuffs. Jail medical staff testified that when she was taken in custody she was four months pregnant. They put her on suicide watch, which is protocol when charges involve a death.

Prosecutors then called Cedar Park Police Sergeant Christopher Daly to the stand. They played video of Work sobbing when he interviewed her at the police station.

The video also shows Work asking about an attorney. She asked how to get one and said she didn't know what to do.

"Are you asking for attorney? You need to let me know," Daly told Work in the video.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," she replied.

"Do you think you need an attorney?" he said.

"I don't know." she replied.

"Did you do anything wrong?" he asked.

"I didn't do anything wrong but I've kind of lied about what happened," she said.

Daly said Work changed her story several times when asked where Colton was.

"She said she left Colton with a friend in Sachse, Texas. Later on she admitted she was lying about that and said Colton was kidnapped from her truck off Rundberg and I-35 in Austin. Then she said she gave him to a family she met at Chik Fil A off I-35," Daly testified.

He said Work told him she was homeless and living out of her truck.

Investigators would later find Colton buried in a shallow grave in Southeast Travis County, but at this point Daly said they were still trying to find him.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2015/08/05/police-meagan-work-made-confessions--police-interviews/31183645/
Police: Meagan Work made confessions in police interviews
August 6, 2015

AUSTIN -- Meagan Work was in court again Wednesday, as her attorneys continue to try to get evidence in the case thrown out before her trial starts in the fall.

Video shown in court Wednesday showed FBI Special Agent Robert Gutierrez speaking with Work as investigators searched for her son, 2-year-old Colton Turner. Work, who was four months pregnant at the time, sobbed throughout the video and Gutierrez often asked her how she was feeling.

Her attorneys are trying to prove she was in no condition to be interviewed since she vomited throughout the day and she complained of cramping. Investigators testified she seemed competent to interview and, at that time, they looked at her as a victim since they had not found Colton.

"I was approaching it from 'she's a victim mom with a child who was abducted and she's threatened not to talk to law enforcement,'" Gutierrez said.

Cedar Park Police Lt. Chanse Thomas also testified. He said they initially pleaded with her for information in hopes of finding Colton alive. Once they identified the toddler's remains, Work admitted to holding his body as her boyfriend, Michael Turner, searched for a spot to bury him.

Thomas explained Work also admitted she held the flashlight as Turner dug the grave. Defense attorneys are trying to prove investigators did not follow proper procedures in getting those statements and they should not be admissible in her trial.

The state also called Austin Police Detective Anthony Nelson, the case's lead investigator, to the stand Wednesday. He explained Turner led police to Colton's remains and told them what happened. Nelson went to speak with Work to confront her with the new information. He let her tell her story first.

"I wanted to see her level of honesty," Nelson said. "I don't think she was honest with me at all."

Nelson said she gave several different stories until confronted with the information from Turner. At that point, he said she admitted to knowing her son was dead.

The judge initially hoped the hearing would wrap up Wednesday, but both sides plan to be back in court Aug. 17.

http://kxan.com/2015/08/05/fbi-agent-discusses-meagan-works-interview-polygraph-test/
Attorneys piece together hours, days after Colton Turner’s death
Published August 5, 2015, Updated August 6, 2015

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/crime/2015/08/16/meagan-work-expected-back-court-monday/31824201/
Meagan Work expected back in court Monday
August 16, 2015

(http://i.imgur.com/RGk2MFWl.jpg) (http://imgur.com/RGk2MFW)
(Photo: KVUE)

AUSTIN -- Meagan Work is expected back in court Monday for another day of an evidentiary hearing where her lawyers are trying to get evidence in the case thrown out before her trial starts later this year.
More...

Meagan Work had choices/options if she couldn't take care of him or if he was a burden.  From what I've read, there were friends and relatives that would have kept him.  JMHO

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/ruling-over-evidence-expected-in-case-against-colt/nn5kG/
Judge suppresses bulk of statements Colton Turner’s mom made to police
October 19, 2015

A Travis County state district judge on Monday threw out DNA swabs and the bulk of the statements Meagan Work made to police in the days after she was first detained for questioning in the disappearance of her 2-year-old son, Colton Turner.

Judge David Wahlberg found officers had unlawfully arrested Work in September 2014, making most of the evidence they collected inadmissible at her trial. But the question had been “where to draw the line,” the judge said.

Wahlberg ruled to suppress all of her interviews with law enforcement after she was taken to the Cedar Park Police Department near 11 p.m. on Sept. 10, 2014, until she received medical care just after 1 a.m. on Sept. 13, 2014. The decision came as a blow to the prosecution, as in that time Work gave conflicting stories about Colton’s disappearance and eventually confessed, describing the night she and her boyfriend buried the child’s body in a Southeast Austin field.

Prosecutors can still use an interview with Austin police on Sept. 14, 2014. But the judge’s decision could further hurt their case. Work’s lawyer, Darla Davis, said she and her co-counsel may soon ask the judge to dismiss even more evidence based on what could now be invalid search warrants.

Incourt over four days in August, the defense team had argued that officers held Work in custody for days and interviewed her for hours, with few breaks, food or sleep, leaving the pregnant woman under dire physical and mental strain. Investigators improperly continued to question her after she inquired about obtaining counsel, they said.

Prosecutors said the officers were trying to find a missing boy and that the investigation changed as Work gave multiple accounts of what happened to him. They said officers gave Work plenty of opportunities to ask for a lawyer and checked on her well-being multiple times.

Outside the courtroom Monday, Davis said the Constitution should always be followed — especially in the most difficult cases.

“It’s important to follow the rules when it’s hard,” Davis said. “If they don’t apply to Ms. Work when she is accused of a crime — not convicted of a crime but accused of a crime — then they don’t apply for anybody.”

Diane Battles, Colton’s great-aunt, said she could not believe the ruling and would fight until the end for justice for Colton.
Meagan Work’s attorney, Darla Davis, speaks with the local media after the judge ruled to throw out evidence during a hearing on Monday.
“We still believe there is enough evidence for a conviction, and that’s what we are going to believe now,” she said. “We are going to believe that she is going to pay for what she did.”
 ::snipping3::

http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/36180070-story
Evidence ruled inadmissible in Colton Turner Case
October 19, 2015

 ::snipping3::
In light of Judge Wahlberg's ruling, Work's lawyers plan to challenge any search warrants obtained by Police during the time that was ruled inadmissible. A hearing is scheduled for November.

The case is scheduled to go to trial in late February.

 

http://kxan.com/2015/10/19/judge-will-determine-which-evidence-allowed-for-meagan-work-trial/
Judge suppresses bulk of statements in Meagan Work case
October 19, 2015

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A district judge ruled on Monday to suppress the bulk of statements Meagan Work made while in custody in Williamson County and under police questioning, just before the discovery of her son’s body in a shallow grave last year.

District Judge David Wahlberg called the warrantless arrest of Work “unlawful.” He said the nature of the arrest put a “taint” on the statements Work made while in custody, and that taint lasted until Work left University Medical Center Brackenridge about three days after being arrested.

Work is charged with tampering with evidence and injury to a child, in connection with the death of her 2-year-old son, Colton Turner, who was found Sept. 12, 2014.

Work’s defense attorney Darla Davis argued the police unlawfully held and questioned the diabetic Work, who was pregnant at the time. Investigators questioned Work for more than 18 hours. During much of the questioning, Davis said, Work felt nauseated and vomited into a trashcan.

Work’s statements “were suppressed because of the gross unconstitutionality of the way she was treated by the Cedar Park Police Department, by the FBI,” Davis said. “If [the laws] don’t not apply to Ms. Work, when she has been accused of something … they don’t apply to anybody.”

Michael Turner, who was Work’s boyfriend, is also in custody for crimes related to the child’s death.

Given Walhberg’s ruling, Davis said she would work to suppress other evidence gathered with search warrants she also called “unconstitutional.” DNA evidence taken from Work during her time in custody has also been suppressed.

Some statements and evidence will still be allowed at trial. Davis said the court would allow statements Work made during initial contact with Cedar Park police and the last interview Work did with the Austin Police Department on Sept. 13.

Following the ruling, Colton’s great aunt Diane Battles said she is still confident the court will find Work guilty.
 ::snipping3::
Cedar Park police initially took Work into custody. After initial and consensual contact was made by CPPD, Work was taken into custody in Williamson County. At that time, authorities were treating the case as a missing person. Numerous law enforcement agencies became involved in the search for Colton, including the Texas Rangers and the Austin Police Department.

In Work’s initial interview with the FBI she said she wasn’t sure if she needed to speak with an attorney and mentioned abandoning her child, according to previous court testimony.

On Sept. 11, 2014, at the onset of the hunt for Colton, Work changed her story about what happened to Colton several times. At one point Work told authorities she left the boy with a friend in a Sachse, a town near Dallas. She later changed the story and said Colton had been kidnapped near the intersection of Rundberg Lane and Interstate 35 in Austin. She also told investigators she gave Colton to a family she met at a Chic-Fil-A restaurant on U.S. Highway 183 in Austin, according to court testimony.

According to Cedar Park Police Department Lt. Chance Thomas, Work admitted to knowing her son had died, and had held the light for Michael Turner as he dug up dirt.

Work’s next court date will be in 2016.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/crime/2015/11/10/colton-turners-father-may-get-update-trial/75505012/
Colton Turner's father may get update on trial
November 10, 2015

TRAVIS COUNTY -- The father suspected in the death of his two-year-old son, Colton Turner, may get an update on his trial in a status hearing Tuesday.

Michael Turner and his girlfriend, Meagan Work, confessed to burying Colton last summer after they said the toddler had a seizure and died. Last September, searchers found Colton's body in a shallow grave in Southeast Austin. Work and Michael are now charged with tampering with physical evidence.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/prosecutors-file-appeal-in-colton-turner-case/npRw7/
Prosecutors to file appeal in Colton Turner case
November 20, 2015

Prosecutors on Friday filed an notice of appeal against a ruling by a Travis County state judge to suppress evidence in the case of Meagan Work, charged in the death of her 2-year-old son, Colton Turner.

District Judge David Wahlberg in October found officers had unlawfully arrested Work in September 2014, making DNA swabs and most of her statements to authorities inadmissible at her trial. Prosecutors have argued that officers were trying to find a missing boy and were forced to change course as Work gave multiple accounts of his whereabouts.
 ::snipping3::
Wahlberg ruled to suppress all of her interviews with law enforcement after she was taken to the Cedar Park Police Department near 11 p.m. on Sept. 10, 2014, until she received medical care just after 1 a.m. on Sept. 13, 2014. The decision came as a blow to the state, as in that time Work gave conflicting stories about Colton’s disappearance and eventually confessed, describing the night she and her boyfriend buried the child’s body in a Southeast Austin field.

In a three-day hearing, defense lawyers argued she was was improperly questioned, put under physical strain and deprived of her right to an attorney.

http://kxan.com/2016/02/23/plea-deal-possible-in-colton-turner-case/
Plea deal possible in Colton Turner case
February 23, 2016

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The man who police say had a role in the death of 2-year-old Colton Turner may take a plea deal on Friday.

Michael Turner’s attorney Steve Brand confirms his client has been offered a plea deal, but he cannot specify on what the offer entails. Turner, 31, is currently in the Travis County Jail—where he’s been since September 2014—charged with injury to a child.

According to court documents, Meagan Work, the child’s mother, told police Colton hit his head on an air conditioning unit as the result of an assault in July 2014. He later had what appeared to be a seizure and died. Work told investigators she was afraid she and Turner, who is not the child’s biological father, would get in trouble if they took the toddler to the emergency room.

After several days of searching for the child, Austin police say Turner led them to the boy’s body buried in a field in Southeast Austin on Sept. 12, 2014.

Brand says the deal will go before Judge David Wahlberg on Friday and he expects his client to plead guilty. When asked if the deal would be good for his client, Brand said, “yes.”

Work, 21, is charged with tampering with evidence and injury to a child. Her next court appearance is scheduled for March 4. Last fall, Judge Walhberg ruled to suppress to the bulk of statements made by Work while she was in custody in Williamson County.

Timeline at link

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/michael-turner-to-appear-in-court-monday/50642074
No ruling in pre-trial hearing for Michael Turner
February 22, 2016

TRAVIS COUNTY -- Michael Turner -- a man police said is connected to the 2014 death of 2-year-old Colton Turner -- appeared in court Monday in an effort to suppress two interviews he conducted with law officials.

Michael Turner and his then-girlfriend Meagan Work are charged with tampering with physical evidence after police said they admitted to burying the toddler. After police found the missing boy in a shallow grave in southeast Austin, Michael and Work told police that the boy died after suffering from a seizure.

The first interview, in which Turner gave his initial confession, his lawyers argued during the pre-trial hearing that Turner did not fully understand his Miranda rights and was denied the ability to end the interview with a Cedar Park Detective and an FBI Special Agent.

In audio played for the court, Turner can be heard asking, "Can I have a second, please?" FBI Special Agent Justin Noble can be heard responding, "No." Noble testified that he did not believe Turner was asking to terminate the interview, but was simply trying to collect his thoughts.

Turner began his confession immediately following this exchange.

In a separate interview with two Austin Police Department detectives, Turner's lawyers argued that he was misled about his rights.

The judge asked the prosecution and defense for arguments and said he would not come to a ruling Monday.

http://kxan.com/2016/02/26/boyfriend-charged-in-colton-turner-case-expected-to-plead-guilty/
Michael Turner pleads guilty for his role in death of Colton Turner
February 26, 2016

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Moments after Michael Turner agreed to plea guilty in exchange for a 20-year prison sentence, he bowed his head and was visibly shaken as Colton Turner’s grandmother told him how much damage he caused in their lives.

“You are a heartless and selfish monster,” said Kim Vidaure. “Whatever part you had in Colton’s death ruined your lives and destroyed mine and my family’s.”

Michael Turner, 31, and his girlfriend Meagan Work were both charged in the death of Meagan’s 2-year-old son Colton. Although Turner was not Colton’s biological father, his attorney said he took on the role of dad and is deeply remorseful for Colton’s death.

When (Vidaure) spoke eloquently about what she’d miss about Colton, that hit home with Michael and I think he’s been living with that since the time Colton died,” said Steve Brand.

Police say Meagan Work changed her stories many times about what happened to Colton but it was Michael who led them to a shallow grave where his body was found. Michael pled guilty to two counts of tampering with evidence stemming from burying Colton’s body before removing him and burying him in a different location. He also pled guilty to 2nd degree Reckless Injury to a Child by Omission, a lesser charge than Intentional Injury to a Child, a 1st degree crime. By agreeing to the lesser charge, Turner avoided a possible sentence of 5-99 years in prison if he were convicted of the first degree felony. Because the crime is “non-aggravated,” he could be eligible for parole in roughly 3 ½ years.

“But for Michael Turner leading them to the body, I don’t know if they ever find Colton Turner. I hope they give him credit for that,” said Brand.

The 20-year sentence did not sit well with Colton’s grandmother and grand-aunt who reminded the media of the toddler which was lost.
 ::snipping3::
Court documents show Turner and Work did not want to take Colton to a hospital after he suffered serious injuries for fears they would be held responsible. The young boy would eventually succumb to those injuries, but Brand said Michael Turner is not accused of actively harming Turner. The charge of Injury to a Child by Omission is because neither he nor Work sought medical help for the boy’s injuries. A decision Brand cannot explain.

“I wish there was an explanation we could come forward with on why things happened the way they did,” Brand said. “Unfortunately there is not.”

Because he has now been convicted, the state can subpoena Michael Turner to testify in the still pending trial of Meagan Work if they so choose. Judge David Wahlberg ruled many statements Work made in investigators is inadmissible, but Michael Turner’s cooperation during the investigation could make him a valuable witness.

According to the internal investigation, there were four Child Protective Service investigations into the allegations that Colton was being abused. Supervisors and case workers failed to follow policy and made many mistakes. Three CPS workers were fired for how they handled the case.

http://kxan.com/2016/11/09/mother-charged-in-death-of-2-year-old-son-back-in-court/
Mother charged in death of 2-year-old court date reset
November 9, 2016

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The mother charged in the death of her two-year-old son was expected to be back in court on Wednesday, but her court date has been reset. The new court appearance has not been announced.

Meagan Work is pleading not-guilty to the charges of tampering with evidence and injury to a child. She is accused of injuring her son Colton Turner, which resulted in his death and allegedly led to her burying him in a shallow grave. The toddler was found buried in a field in southeast Austin back in September 2014.

Work’s boyfriend, Michael Turner took a plea deal in February and received 20 years in jail. He will now likely become a key witness for the prosecution since the majority of the testimony Work gave Cedar Park Police and the FBI will not be admissible in court. According to Cedar Park Police Department Lt. Chance Thomas, Work admitted to knowing her son had died, and held the light for Michael Turner as he dug up dirt.

An internal investigation found there were four Child Protective Service investigations into the allegations that Colton was being abused. Supervisors and case workers failed to follow policy and made many mistakes according to officials. Three CPS workers were fired for how they handled the case.

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/court-rejects-meagan-works-request-to-have-statements-to-police-tossed-out/474433494
Court rejects Meagan Work's request to have statements to police tossed out
September 13, 2017

AUSTIN - Texas' highest criminal court decided Wednesday to reject Meagan Work's request to toss out the statements she made to police after the 2014 death of her 2-year-old son, Colton Turner, according to KVUE's news partners at the Austin American-Statesman.

Colton's body was found in a shallow grave in southeast Austin on Sept. 12, 2014 days after police began searching for him.

The Court of Criminal Appeals upheld a 2016 decision by the Austin-based Third Court of Appeals that allowed prosecutors to introduce during a trial statements Work made to Cedar Park police during 26 hours of questioning about the disappearance of Colton.

Before the Third Court of Appeals made that decision, a Travis County district judge ruled that Cedar Park police illegally arrested Work when she made the statements. The third Court ruled that the arrest was legal because it was apparent that she had lied to investigators when she said her son was with a friend out of town.

Police said Work and Michael Turner -- Work's boyfriend -- admitted to burying Colton after he died from a seizure. Family and friends said that they had not seen the boy since July 2014 and that he was covered in scrapes and bruises the last time they saw him.

Work has been charged with injury to a child and tampering with evidence. Turner pleaded guilty in 2016 to injury to a child by omission and two counts of tampering with physical evidence, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Turner was not Colton’s biological father, but was helping to raise him.

http://kxan.com/2017/10/26/new-trial-date-set-in-meagan-work-case/
New trial date set in Meagan Work case
October 26, 2017



AUSTIN (KXAN) — The trial date for a woman charged in connection with the death of her 3-year-old has been pushed back to allow her defense more time to review evidence.

Originally, Meagan Work’s trial was scheduled for Oct. 30, but will now take place May 7, 2018. She has pleaded not guilty to tampering with evidence and injury to a child after her son, Colton Turner, was found in a shallow grave in 2014.

Police say Work changed her story numerous times when they questioned her. However, Work’s defense argued that her arrest was unconstitutional and her statements should be tossed from the record. A judge agreed with that argument in October 2015, but last December an appeals court ruled those statements could be allowed into evidence.

Work’s attorney told KXAN Wednesday that its recent appeal of that ruling was rejected and that pushing back her trial date would give the defense time to analyze that ruling and prepare in light of the evidence being allowed in court. She also said that Work is in good spirits and is looking forward to the trial date and having all the evidence brought to light.

Judge David Wahlberg expects Work’s trial to last more than a week, and said two jury pools will likely be necessary because Work’s case has received so much attention.

Pre-trial hearings are scheduled for Jan.  30-31, 2018.

Michael Turner, 32, pleaded guilty in February 2016 to tampering with evidence and reckless injury to a child by omission charges in connection with Colton’s death. Turner led police to Colton’s body, which he buried, removed, and then buried in a different location. Turner is serving a 20-year sentence.

http://kxan.com/2018/01/30/meagan-works-pretrial-hearings-begin-tuesday/
Meagan Work’s pretrial hearings begin Tuesday
January 30, 2018

USTIN (KXAN) — For the first time since her trial was delayed last year, a mother charged in connection with the death of her 3-year-old son will face a judge. Meagan Work’s pretrial hearing is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Work pleaded not guilty to tampering with evidence and injury to a child after her son, Colton Turner, was found in a shallow grave in 2014. Her trial was originally scheduled for Oct. 30, 2017, but after a failed appeal to deem certain statements inadmissable, her defense requested more time to build its case. Work’s defense tried to argue that her arrest was unconstitutional, but in December 2016, an appeals court ruled her statements following the arrest could be used as evidence. Those statements include a confession.

Work’s trial is scheduled to start in May. Judge David Wahlberg says it could last more than a week and will likely require two jury pools because of the public interest.

In February 2016, Work’s boyfriend, 32-year-old Michael Turner, pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and reckless injury to a child by omission charges in this case. He is serving a 20-year sentence after helping lead investigators to Colton’s remains.

http://kxan.com/2018/01/30/meagan-works-pretrial-hearings-begin-tuesday/
Meagan Work’s defense continues to argue her arrest was unconstitutional
January 30, 2018

AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time since her trial was delayed last year, a mother charged in connection with the death of her 3-year-old son faced a judge. Meagan Work’s pretrial hearing is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Work pleaded not guilty to tampering with evidence and injury to a child after her son, Colton Turner, was found in a shallow grave in 2014. Her trial was originally scheduled for Oct. 30, 2017, but after a failed appeal to deem certain statements inadmissable, her defense requested more time to build its case. Work’s defense tried to argue that her arrest was unconstitutional, but in December 2016, an appeals court ruled her statements following the arrest could be used as evidence. Those statements include a confession.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Work’s attorneys once again argued that her arrest was unconstitutional. The defense argues because Work was arrested for a Class C Misdemeanor, she should have been magistrated and released but instead, she was held for days and questioned.
The defense wants those statements thrown out before the trial starts.

Work’s trial is scheduled to start in May. Judge David Wahlberg says it could last more than a week and will likely require two jury pools because of the public interest.

In February 2016, Work’s boyfriend, 32-year-old Michael Turner, pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and reckless injury to a child by omission charges in this case. He is serving a 20-year sentence after helping lead investigators to Colton’s remains.

Related Posts

http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/mother-charged-in-sons-death-returns-to-court
Mother charged in son's death returns to court
January 30, 2018

A mother charged in the death of her two-year-old son was back in Travis County District Court Tuesday.
               
Meagan Work is charged with tampering with evidence and injury to a child. Both charges were filed after Work's son, Colton Turner, was found in a shallow grave in 2014.

This time Work’s attorneys hope to convince a district court judge to toss out statements she made to police regarding the disappearance of her son. They said because she wasn't arraigned within 48 hours of her arrest, she was being held illegally.

“They didn't comply with the law and that renders her statements inadmissible and the question now is going to be which statements,” said defense attorney Ariel Payan.

In 2016, Texas' Third Criminal Court of Appeals overturned the district court’s decision to throw out Work's statement. Now a district court judge is looking into how to apply the third court's ruling.

“Whatever he decides now, if he suppresses any of the statements, some of those statements were used to get search warrants. If he suppresses those particular statements, then, obviously, those search warrants become questionable and so we would have to challenge those as well,” Payan said. 

Defense lawyers also claim Work's DNA, truck and phones were seized before she was told she was under arrest. That too, they say, should make the evidence inadmissible.

“How are you taking her car if she wasn't driving it and she wasn't under arrest at the time you took it? So that's quite a big step for law enforcement to take and not one that's legal,” said Payan. 

Also mentioned in court Tuesday was how the Cedar Park police investigator who interviewed Work conducted himself. That is the same investigator who helped during the Greg Kelley case. Kelley was convicted, but his case has been sent to the Court of Criminal Appeals after a newly appointed District Attorney agreed he was unfairly investigated. Work's lawyers said because of that, they will bring up new questions about the fairness of her investigation.

“Certainly, when you have an individual who investigates offenses in a certain way, that should be relevant to how they conducted themselves in your particular case. So, yeah, that's pretty likely,” Payan said. 

Meanwhile, Michael Turner, who was dating Work at the time of Colton’s death, pleaded to two counts of tampering with physical evidence and one count of reckless injury to a child by omission. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The judge is expected to make a decision on the motion to suppress March 21. Work's trial begins May 7.

https://www.statesman.com/news/crime--law/district-judge-rule-evidence-meagan-work-case/4NY9CPOW8ySU6fLBvYb4MN/
District judge to rule on evidence in Meagan Work case
March 26, 2018

Travis County state District Judge David Wahlberg was expected to rule this afternoon on whether to throw out evidence in the Meagan Work case.

The Meagan Work trial has been delayed again, and so has state District Judge David Wahlberg’s decision on the evidence that will be allowed in the case.
Jury trial for the Meagan Work case has been pushed back again from its scheduled date of May 7 to the week of August 20 to allow time for attorneys to review evidence. The trial was originally scheduled for October.

Wahlberg’s decision on whether or not to allow evidence taken in in the first few days of Work’s arrest has also been pushed back to an uncertain date.

Wahlberg has ruled before to throw out all statements Work made to police in the two days following her arrest in 2014, who were then investigating the disappearance of her 2-year-old son. In 2015, he ruled that Work was arrested unlawfully and threw out many of the statements she made while under arrest, including some DNA evidence and her confession to hiding her deceased child.

Wahlberg’s decision was reversed by the 3rd Court of Appeals in December 2016, defending Work’s arrest because she had lied to investigators. The Court of Criminal Appeals upheld this ruling in September.

Work was arrested for a Class C Misdemeanor, and her defense attorney Ariel Payan argues she should have been magistrated and released but was instead detained and questioned for almost 50 hours. Payan said Work was intentionally denied access to an attorney during that time.

Wahlberg said at a hearing in January that he had concerns that Work was mistreated by Cedar Park police and hinted that he would again rule to throw out evidence that police gathered during that 50-hour period, including her statements.

Work pleaded not guilty in 2015 to felony charges of injury to a child and tampering with evidence. Her son Colton Turner was found buried in South Austin in 2014.

http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/judge-rules-confession-statements-admissible-in-2014-meagan-work-case
Judge rules confession statements admissible in 2014 Meagan Work case
May 3, 2018

The confession of a woman charged in the death of her two-year-old son can now be used in trial. Megan Work was arrested back in 2014 after her son Colton Turner was found in a shallow grave in southeast Austin.

Work is charged with injury to a child with intent to cause serious bodily injury or serious mental deficiency and tampering with evidence. Her attorney’s filed a second motion to suppress her statements she made while she was in Cedar Park Police custody. Defense attorney Ariel Payan said law enforcement did not take Work in front of a magistrate within 48hours of her detainment and any confession made past that allotted time wasn’t admissible.

According to court documents, Work was held for more than two days, questioned by several law enforcement agencies and her story about what happened to Colton changed throughout her time there.

"You're talking about a 20-year-old girl pregnant in pain, no medical attention, vomiting for 16-hours not eating barely drinking,"Payan said. "She was deliberately purposefully intentionally held in a room so that they can question her repeatedly over and over, over again till they got what they wanted.

However, the prosecution argued detectives read her rights, offered her water and placed her in a room the department uses to conduct interviews with witnesses and victims.

167th District Judge David Wahlberg said he agreed the Cedar Park Police department failed to take Work in front of a magistrate but ultimately sided with the State.

Work’s full confession statements can be used in trial in August.

https://www.statesman.com/news/crime--law/colton-turner-mom-appear-court-ahead-trial-child-death/1mDbcYsMyyMx2GH1C3DDGM/
Colton Turner’s mother to appear in court ahead of trial in child’s death
August 1, 2018

The mother of slain toddler Colton Turner will appear in Travis County district court Wednesday as lawyers in her case finalize details ahead of her Aug. 20 trial.

Meagan Work, 24, has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of tampering with physical evidence and injury to a child. Police say she helped her boyfriend bury the remains of 2-year-old Colton in a shallow grave in South Austin in 2014.

In May, state District Judge David Wahlberg ruled in favor of prosecutors to admit statements Work made to law enforcement officials who were investigating the child’s disappearance. Police say Work made misleading and false statements, but ultimately made some sort of confession related to the child’s death.

Work’s lawyer, Ariel Payan, had argued police blocked Work from speaking to an attorney and did not take her to a judge within an appropriate time. Police spoke with Work for 50 hours before making an arrest.

Work’s boyfriend, Michael Turner, is serving 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in 2016 to injury to a child by reckless omission.

https://www.statesman.com/news/crime--law/meagan-work-pleads-guilty-2014-death-toddler-colton-turner/ucAdWL76nof7DWjouKEGdO/
Meagan Work pleads guilty in 2014 death of toddler Colton Turner
August 2, 2018

11:15 a.m. update: Meagan Work has pleaded guilty in connection to the 2014 death of her young son, Colton Turner.

Work, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of injury to a child and one count of tampering with evidence. Prosecutors agreed to drop one count of injury to a child under the plea agreement.

Work will be sentenced following a four-day hearing in November. She faces up to 99 years in prison.

By pleading guilty, Work will not go to trial as planned on Aug. 20.

7 a.m.: Meagan Work, charged in connection to the 2014 death of her toddler son, Colton Turner, will be back in court Thursday for the second day in a row as a judge considers whether to delay the start of her upcoming trial.

Work, 24, is scheduled to go to trial Aug. 20. Her lawyers filed a motion Wednesday saying they have not had sufficient time to review information on the case that was presented to them by prosecutors in early July. The information is contained on 15 discs and includes hundreds of files, the lawyers say.

The decision will be made by state District Judge David Wahlberg, who told the lawyers to return to court at 9 a.m.

Work, who has been jailed since her September 2014 arrest, conferred with her lawyers behind closed doors but was not brought into the courtroom. She has pleaded not guilty to two counts of injury to a child and one count of tampering with evidence.

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/meagan-work-pleads-guilty-in-death-of-her-2-year-old-son/1341544638
Colton Turner's family 'shocked' by Meagan Work's plea bargain
Work plead guilty to injury to a child by omission
August 3, 2018

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A mother charged in connection with her 2-year-old son's death has pleaded guilty to two charges, weeks before her trial was set to start.

Meagan Work, 24, had initially pleaded not guilty to the tampering with evidence and two injury to a child charges after her son, Colton Turner, was found in a shallow grave in 2014. Her trial was scheduled for last October, but after a failed appeal it was pushed back to give the defense more time to build its case.

Work's defense team took a deal after prosecutors dropped an injury to a child charge that laid the blame on her son's death on her. She ended up pleading guilty to injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence.

"What she has admitted to was not taking him for medical care and that weighs heavily on her," Work's attorney Darla Davis said.

The two legal teams began negotiations last week and dropping a charge was key.

"Once they were willing to let go of that, it became much easier. Because she does admit responsibility to those things that she did," Davis said.

Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 26, in which a judge will determine her punishment after hearing evidence from both sides. A judge could sentence Work anywhere from five years to life in prison for the injury to child charge.

"We were very pleased to have her admit to her guilt in the death of her son," Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore said.

Diane Battles, Colton's great aunt, issued a statement on behalf of the family stating they "were shocked because we understood there would be no plea deals for Meagan." The family says they were "ready for Justice for Colton."

The family is worried about Judge David Wahlberg making the final decision on how much prison time Work will receive.

"It’s scary to us that Judge Wahlberg will be the one to determine Meagan’s fate in this awful case because he wanted, or let me say, agreed to so many of Meagan’s confessions with Cedar Park PD being tossed out of court. So we can only hope & pray at this time that the judge’s heart and mind are in the right place and keeping in mind that this is Justice for Colton not Meagan and that he will sentence Meagan to the max time that each charge will carry.”

In May, the judge presiding over her case ruled prosecutors could use statements she made after she was arrested, including a confession. The defense was trying to keep them out of the courtroom because it argued her arrest was unconstitutional.

Work's boyfriend at the time, Michael Turner, 32, pleaded guilty in February 2016 to tampering with evidence and reckless injury to a child by omission charges in connection with Colton's death. Turner led police to Colton's body, which he buried, removed and then buried in a different location.

Turner is currently serving a 20-year sentence. He could be released in December of 2022 for good behavior.

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/meagan-work-sentencing-hearing-in-son-s-death-begins-monday/1618881403
Meagan Work sentencing hearing in son's death begins Monday
November 26, 2018

 ::snipping3::
On Monday, Work's sentencing hearing is set to begin at the Travis County Courthouse. Judge David Wahlberg will decide the fate of Work after she waived the option for a jury to sentence her.

Work took the plea deal in August after prosecutors dropped an Injury to a Child charge that basically blamed her for Colton's death. She ended up pleading guilty to Injury to a Child by Omission and Tampering with Evidence.
 ::snipping3::

Advocates for the toddler, like Battles, said they're worried Judge Wahlberg won't be harsh enough on Work in deciding her sentence since he decided to toss out Work's confession to Cedar Park Police.

"I saw what Michael got," she said, referring to Work's boyfriend, Michael Turner, who pleaded guilty to a Reckless Injury to a Child charge and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He could get out on good behavior as early as 2022. "Meagan was offered a plea deal and Colton wasn't given a plea deal."

Battles said she would like to see Work receive the death penalty but knows that will not happen so her hope is the judge will sentence Work to life in prison without parole.  Family members said they've been holding out hope for "Justice for Colton."

When KXAN last spoke with Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore she said, the sentencing hearing could last four days. Judge Wahlberg will hear testimony from both sides.

The judge could sentence Work to anywhere from five years to life in prison on the Injury to a Child by Omission charge, alone.

"This little boy does not deserve to be in a cemetery right now, he needs justice," Battles said. "He should be here living his life, playing and he's not getting that while his mother is going to get a few years and then go off with her life. That's not justice to me."

Work remains in the Travis County Jail.
 ::snipping3::

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/years-after-2-year-old-was-found-in-shallow-grave-in-austin-mother-to-learn-her-sentence/269-617690393
Years after 2-year-old was found in shallow grave in Austin, mother to learn her sentence
Meagan Work has pleaded guilty in connection to the death of her 2-year-old son, Colton Turner. Turner was found in a shallow grave in southeast Austin in 2014.
November 26, 2014

AUSTIN — Meagan Work, the mother who pleaded guilty in the 2014 death of her young son, will soon learn what sentence she faces.

The 24-year-old pleaded guilty in August to a charge of tampering with evidence, and a charge of injury to a child by omission, meaning she failed to find medical care for her son.

In 2014, 2-year-old Colton Turner was found dead in a shallow grave in southeast Austin after authorities searched for the missing boy. Police believe Work and her boyfriend, Michael Turner, admitted to burying Colton after he died from a seizure.

At the sentencing hearing, which begins Monday, Nov. 26, a judge could give her anywhere from five years to life in prison.

Michael Turner pleaded guilty in 2016 to injury to a child by omission and two counts of tampering with physical evidence.

I'm disgusted.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  Justice was not served for Colton imo.  ::MonkeyTears:: 


http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/meagan-work-sentenced-to-30-years
Meagan Work sentenced to 30 years after week of emotional testimony
Posted Nov. 30, 2018, Updated Dec. 1, 2018

Emotions ran high as a heart-wrenching case concluded. 

Since Meagan Work's punishment hearing began Monday morning, witness after witness could not hold back their tears...even Travis County Judge David Wahlberg had a very hard time with it. "This has been one of the most emotional cases I've ever had to deal with as a Judge, as a lawyer, as a human being," Wahlberg said. 

Judge Wahlberg says history has taught us, decisions based on emotion are not sound ones.
Wahlberg pointed to Robert Coe's testimony: a man who worked near where Meagan's boyfriend Michael Turner worked.  Turner was not Colton's father. 

The court was shown a re-enactment of what Coe believes he saw: Work striking Colton and slamming his head against a truck door in July of 2014. Because Coe feels such regret for not having called 911 right then and there, the Judge believes Coe wanted to make atonement for that.

"And I think that made him shade his testimony somewhat," Wahlberg said.

Judge Wahlberg says Work's childhood weighed heavily on his decision.

"To be used as a sex toy by your daddy's drug-addict, drug dealing friends," he said.

The Judge added that doesn't excuse Work's behavior but it needs to be considered...because the sexual assault of a child leads to a "lifetime of impairment."

Work cried as Judge Wahlberg read her sentence.  For the charges of “injury to a child” and “tampering with evidence,” 20 and 30 years served concurrently.

The State had asked for 50. "The sentence that she is serving on the injury to a child case is aggravated.  The same as if it were a murder, it's an aggravated offense, and she has to do half of the 30 years before she's eligible for parole," said prosecutor Jeremy Sylestine.

After the hearing, Work's attorney Darla Davis was visibly upset that Michael Turner, who is already serving a 20-year-sentence for his involvement, has "gotten away with a lot."

"But Meagan Work is Colton Turner - was - Colton Turner's biological mother and that imposes legal and moral responsibility that Michael Turner didn't have," Judge Wahlberg said.

"I am the mother of an adopted daughter.  So to say that I am less responsible for her because there is no blood tie...that's nonsense," Davis said.

Colton Turner's great-uncle heckled Davis as she spoke with the press. "The D.A.'s office reduced Michael Turner's sentence and because he's a man he doesn't have to have as much responsibility and because there's no blood tie...so tell me that I don't have the same responsibility for my adopted daughter than I would have if I was blood-related, is anybody going to tell me that?" Davis said.

Colton's grandmother took the stand after Work's sentencing and called her "pure evil." "On September 21, 2018 he would have celebrated his 7th birthday.  He would be in first grade.  Our family and friends gather to celebrate his birthday every year at his grave.  He deserved better," she said.

By the way, Work will get credit for time served. 

So it's possible she'll be eligible for parole in a little over a decade. 

The D.A.'s office says they will protest her release.