Inset: Randy Daniels (Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office). Background: Khai Daniels (KSLA).
A Louisiana mother says her 3-year-old son was abused and burned from the waist down by his father and the dad’s girlfriend after the child “used the restroom on himself,” leaving him severely injured and ultimately dead.
Randy Daniels, 27, is facing charges of second-degree murder, second-degree cruelty to juveniles and failure to seek assistance in connection with the death of his son, Khai Daniels, last week in Bossier City.
Arrest records show that Daniels was taken into custody on Oct. 29 and is being held on a $775,000 bond. Local police also have an active warrant for Daniels’ girlfriend, Diamond Unique Smith, in connection with Khai’s death.
The boy’s mother, Charisma Bryant, spoke to local CBS affiliate KSLA about his death and what allegedly preceded it. She says a Child Protective Services worker showed her messages exchanged between Daniels and Smith, in which they discussed burning Khai.
“The messages stated that Khai had used the restroom on himself, she [Smith] was going to drop him off to Randy/ And Randy said, ‘Okay,'” according to Bryant.
“At this time, Randy was at work … So she [Smith] was like, he used the restroom on himself, and I have to clean him up and put him in a tub,” Bryant said. “And she stated in the messages that she was going to burn him.”
According to Bryant, Khai suffered severe burns from the waist down and received no medical care for days. Bryant alleges that Daniels and Smith tried to treat the injuries themselves with ointment and disinfectant wipes rather than taking him to a hospital.
By the time the child was hospitalized Oct. 27, he had become violently ill and had to be placed on a ventilator at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. Khai died from injuries he suffered in alleged abuse that, Bryant says, lasted days after she dropped him off with Daniels.
“I had been texting and texting and calling Randy about getting Khai back,” Bryant alleged. “And I never got a text back or a call back. And it’s like, he blocked me, or changed his number, is what I heard.”
Bryant told KSLA she had not seen Khai since early October. “He was very passionate, outgoing,” she said about Khai. “His personality was amazing. If you was around him, even for just a split second, he would light up the room, honestly. Like, even if he was having a bad day, he would, like, make you happy. He would make you smile.”
The autopsy on Khai had not yet been completed as of Sunday. Bryant showed KSLA photos of injuries Khai allegedly sustained to his legs and lower body.
Police have not provided additional information about Smith’s outstanding warrant. She was still being sought as of Sunday.
