Mother facing murder charge in adopted 3-year-old's death

JOEL MILLMAN

THE GAZETTE

A mother accused in the death of her 3-year-old adopted son turned herself in Friday morning and will face first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death charges, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lt. Lari Sevene said.

Michelle Dosdall, 39, of Peyton, was arrested for allegedly causing the head injury that killed Tristan Dosdall.

On March 24, deputies were called to the family’s home at 21150 Cheryl Grove where they found Tristan unconscious and having difficulty breathing. The boy was flown to a local hospital in critical condition.

Five days later, doctors declared him brain dead, and he died Wednesday after being taken off life support. An autopsy determined that he died from a blow to the head.

The death is the first homicide this year in unincorporated El Paso County.

Dosdall initially was sought on suspicion of second-degree murder, but Sevene said the possible charge was upgraded today. She did not explain why it was changed.

Dosdall is being held without bond in the El Paso County jail.

According to the sheriff’s arrest affidavit, Dosdall told a detective the following:

Tristan and his 5-year-old brother had been playing together and had been more rambunctious than usual. Around 8 p.m., she took Tristan upstairs for a bath, Afterward, she placed Tristan on a bath rug in front of the tub. Wrapping the boy in a towel, she went to an adjoining bedroom to get his pajamas.

While in the bedroom, she heard a “thud.” When she went back to see what had happened, she found Tristan lying on the floor crying. It appeared that he’d fallen on the wet floor, but seemed to be fine after she calmed him down.

Tristan’s birth mother had been addicted to methamphetamine, and before Dosdall adopted him when he was 1, Tristan had been severely neglected in foster care. He required physical therapy, which involved doing exercises on a carpeted floor.

After the bath, Tristan didn’t want to do his exercises and she was forced to be verbally “gruff” with him. Sometimes, when Tristan didn’t want to do his exercises he would go limp and fall backward, allowing his head to hit the carpet. After exercising for about 20 minutes, Tristan suddenly went limp and his eyes rolled back.

She picked him up and tried to revive him by shaking, slapping and placing him under a cold shower, but he did not respond.

On March 25, Dosdall’s older son was questioned by a caseworker. He told her his mother had given Tristan a bath, “then sit-ups and then boom.” He clapped his hands to simulate the sound. “Then got some cold water and then he went to the hospital.”

Dosdall’s 5-year-old son has been removed from the home and is in the custody of county social services. Her husband was not home when Tristan was injured, Sevene said.

Dosdall volunteered with the local chapter of the National Puppy Mill Rescue, which rescues dogs kept in cages for breeding in puppy mills.

The head of the group, Theresa Strader, said she was “devastated” by the accusation, and that she saw no signs that Tristan was abused when the boy accompanied his mother to the kennel where the rescued dogs were kept.