COLTON BRANDT TURNER - 3 yo (9/14) - / Charged: Mother, Meagan Work and boyfriend Michael Turner - Cedar Park, TX

FBI searching for missing Cedar Park boy

By KXAN News  
Published: September 11, 2014, 5:51 pm  
Updated: September 12, 2014, 6:10 am  

CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Authorities are asking for help in finding a missing 2-year-old boy from Cedar Park believed to be a victim of child abuse. Colton Brandt Turner turns 3 years old in nine days.

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.

A 2013 mug shot of Meagan Work, who is now facing charges of abandoning and endangering a child.

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.

http://kxan.com/2014/09/11/fbi-searching-for-missing-cedar-park-boy/

New details in the death of two-year-old Colton Turner
Posted: Sep 15, 2014 11:14 AM EST Updated: Sep 15, 2014 7:30 PM EST


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.

You can read the full search warrant here.

While more charges are expected in the case Meagan Work, 20, and her boyfriend Michael Turner, 29, are charged with tampering with evidence in the case.

Court paperwork reveals that on September 12th around 2:30 in the morning Turner led police to Colton's gravesite in a wooded area off Felter Lane in Southeast Austin.

The investigation started September 10th when a concerned friend approached Cedar Park Police about Colton's whereabouts. The friend also produced pictures showing the boy had been abused. Police launched an investigation and were able to track down Work.

According to the documents Work gave three different accounts as to where her son was. She told a family friend that Colton was staying with family in East Texas. When questioned by authorities she told them Colton was kidnapped out of her truck in the parking lot of a motel on East Rundberg. Police questioned Work again and she told them she gave Colton to another couple at a fast food restaurant but could not remember their names.

The inconsistencies did not fool police. Another detective drove to San Saba County to questioned Michael Turner who was in jail there for probation revocation. Turner shared a similar story to Work's account about giving Colton away. When he was pushed Turner told police Colton was dead and gave specific details about his grave.

During interviews with investigators Work told police her son had a seizure. Instead of taking him to the hospital the couple brought him back to the motel room. Colton was not acting himself and was not walking according the affidavit.

Work told police she and Michael attempted to nurse Colton to health on their own. When Work woke up the next morning on July 7th Colton was dead.

Both Work and Turner told police Colton would have a large bump on his head. During their interviews with police the paperwork appears to show the couple blames each other. Turner told investigators he was ready to drive to the hospital but Work feared they would get in trouble.

After finding Colton dead the couple waited until sundown to hide his body according to the court documents. Turner told detectives Colton's body was wrapped in a purple blanket. The couple planned to bury Colton but Work told police the grave was not deep enough. The couple put Colton's body in the bed of a pick-up truck and drove back to the motel. The next evening the two drove to a wooded area off Felter Lane. Turner told police he borrowed a shovel and dug a grave two to three feet deep. Turner says he covered the grave with wood and placed sheetrock on top of it. Turner says Work waited in the car while he buried her son.

Turner is not the biological father of the child but he calls Colton his son. Turner was at the hospital and gave Colton his middle and last name. The child's biological father has a criminal history.

According to the search warrant Work's sister was aware of the alleged abuse and so was Child Protective Services. CPS confirms there are previous cases involving Colton. The agency is reviewing those cases to see whether they were handled according to policy.

FBI, Texas Rangers, APD and Cedar Park Police assisted in locating the boy's body. Austin Police have jurisdiction for the case.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/26534198/new-details-emerge-in-the-death-of-two-year-old-colton-brandt-turner

Details emerge in 2-year-old's death


Tom Miller and Shelton Green / KVUE News 10:38 p.m. CDT September 15, 2014

AUSTIN -- New details emerged Monday from arrest affidavits for Meagan Work, the mother of 2-year-old Colton Brandt Turner, and Michael Turner, Work's boyfriend.

Work and Turner are charged with tampering with physical evidence.

Authorities found remains believed to be Colton's in a shallow grave in southeast Austin on Friday. According to an arrest affidavit, Turner led police to Colton's body after he and Work dug a grave there.

Details emerge in 2-year-old's death KVUE

The affidavit says Work, 20, told police conflicting stories about her son's whereabouts. Police say Work told them Colton was staying with a friend in Sachse, Texas, but Work had told a friend he was staying with family in East Texas. Detectives confronted Work about the inconsistency, at which point she told them Colton had been kidnapped while her vehicle was parked in the East Rundberg area of Austin, then told them she had given Colton to a couple with kids at a fast food restaurant.

Police began interviewing Turner, 29, at the San Saba County Jail, where he was serving time for a probation revocation. Turner initially backed up Work's statement that Colton was with the couple from the fast food restaurant, then told police that Colton was actually dead and that he would show them where he was buried.

RELATED: Memorial for 2-year-old Colton Turner draws hundreds

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.

Turner told police that even though he was not Colton's biological father, he felt as though the boy was "his son." Turner talked with police about being at the hospital when Colton was born, saying that he had "accepted the child to the point that the boy was given [Turner's] middle and last name."

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."

RELATED: Facebook photos launch investigation into missing boy

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

Meagan Work and Michael Turner(Photo: KVUE)






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

Abused, abandoned and killed: Pregnant mother in police custody after remains of her two-year-old son are found hidden in wooded area


The body of Colton Brandt Turner, 2, was found today in Texas
His remains were hidden in a wooded area of southeast Austin 
His mother has been charged with abandoning her child, and is a person of interest in the boy's death



Published: 22:02 EST, 12 September 2014  |  Updated: 07:29 EST, 13 September 2014

The search for a missing toddler turned tragic earlier today when the boy's body was found by police.

The remains of Colton Brandt Turner, 2, of Austin, Texas, were found hidden in a wooded area less than two days after officials received a call from a friend of his mother who was concerned about the young boy's whereabouts.

His mother, 20-year-old Megan Work, is in police custody.



Tragic end: The body of two-year-old Colton turner was found earlier today, and his mother Megan Work is now in police custody (both pictured above)




The body of Colton Brandt Turner, 2, was found today in Texas
His remains were hidden in a wooded area of southeast Austin 
His mother has been charged with abandoning her child, and is a person of interest in the boy's death


She is also four months pregnant according to her friend Briana Spieldenner, the same person who initially notified officials.


'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. 

'We are no longer looking for a missing child in Cedar Park and instead are investigating a death and disposal of a body.'

Work, who is the person of interest in the case, gave officials three different accounts as to where Colton was when asked this week, and none of them checked out.

The young mother had been living out of her car or with friends for the past several months.



Abandoned: Work (above), who is currently four months pregnant, lied to police on three occasions when asked where her son was

She has, for the moment, been charged with abandoning and endangering a child without intent to return.

Officials believe the child was a victim of abuse according to KXAN. 

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

Ms. Spieldenner, one of Work's best friends, fought back tears as she talked about what happened, saying, 'She's not who I thought she was.'

She said she had not seen Colton since April, adding, 'He was a happy boy. Always. He was always smiling. He was so happy. My daughter, she like I said she is two and a half, and they loved each other. They would play so good.'




Officials believe Colton (left), whose mother Megan Work (right) had been arrested multiple times in the past, had been abused

In addition to calling the police, is seems that Ms. Spieldenner was also the one who helped authorities locate Work.

'I just wish I could have done something sooner. I've always been involved in his life and I love him and I l feel like I should have seen something sooner and should have been able to save him,' she told KVUE.

Colton would have turned three in just nine days.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2754312/Abused-abandonned-killed-Pregnant-mother-police-custody-remains-two-year-old-son-hidden-wooded-area.html#ixzz3DFHybMCO

Work's sister talks about their childhood, Colton's life

Ashley Goudeau, KVUE
8:18 a.m. CDT September 19, 2014

CEDAR PARK, Texas -- A pinwheel blowing in the breeze broke the silence in Heritage Oak Park, where the base of the beloved "Oak Tree" was covered with candles, stuffed animals and flowers as a memorial for Colton Turner, the 2-year-old whose body was found in a shallow grave just more than a week ago.

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."

For Colton, the abuse has ended and his innocent soul is now resting peacefully as a community holds on to hope that justice will be served in his memory.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2014/09/18/meagan-works-sister-talks-about-their-childhood-coltons-life/15857241/

New information about CPS case history involving Colton Turner

Posted: Sep 16, 2014 8:19 PM CDT
Updated: Sep 16, 2014 9:48 PM CDT

There's new information concerning the CPS case history involving Colton Turner.

According to the Cedar Park Police Chief, CPS had four cases involving the two-year-old, two of which were open when officers found his body in a shallow grave last week. Tuesday, FOX 7 heard from a spokesperson from the Department of Family and Protective Services.

Across from the Cedar Park Police Department are candles, balloons and children's toys. All left with love for a boy who may have not received enough while living.

The mother of two-year-old Colton Turner, Meagan Work, says she helped her boyfriend, Michael Turner, bury the child's body in Southeast Austin in July. Work claims Colton hit his head on an air conditioner at a motel after being assaulted and died the next day.

"I don't think I could bring myself to believe anything that Meagan Work says," said Cedar Park Police Chief Sean Mannix.

It was Mannix's officers who first interviewed Work. He says she told them several stories about her son's whereabouts between when family members last reported seeing him in April and May until September 10th.

"I think one of the saddest elements of this case is we may never know what happened to that little boy other than how he was disposed of by the people that are supposed to be closest to him," Mannix said.

Mannix says CPS has investigated cases involving the family. They date back to when Colton was around six months old.

"The number I was given was four. I haven't confirmed that with CPS and I was also told that a couple of those cases were open cases because they were unable to locate Miss Work because of her transient nature," said Mannix.

"If someone doesn't want to be found, there's ways not to be found. That's just the way of the world," said Department of Family and Protective Services Spokesperson Julie Moody.

Moody defended the agency as much as she could without revealing specifics about the case history. She says that must remain private for now while an internal review takes place.

"There was prior involvement with this family. When we're finished reviewing everything we did or didn't do, we will release that to the public," Moody said.

In addition the Texas Health and Human Services Commission will review the case. It oversees DFPS.

Both reviews will likely not be complete by Colton's funeral.

Mannix says he will be there.

"This little boy deserved to have more people involved and more love in his life while he was living and if all we can do is give him a little bit of that postmortem, I want to be part of that," said Mannix.

The family has not set funeral arrangements for Colton, but they will be paid for.

The Cook-Walden-Davis funeral home in Georgetown created a gofundme account and by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, the goal amount of $10,000 was reached. The money pays for a casket, and purchase of a grave site at Bagdad Cemetery.

Work's first court appearance has been set for September 23rd. Darla Davis has been named as her attorney.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/26550804/new-information-about-cps-case-history-involving-colton-turner