SPRINGHILL TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania — Bentlee Myers was just two years old. He never made it to three.
In August 2024, the toddler was staying at the home of his father’s girlfriend, Brianna Rufina Bloyer, on Old Lake Lynn Road in Springhill Township — a quiet community near the West Virginia border.
He never left alive.
What investigators found on her phone
When police obtained Bloyer’s phone, what they discovered was chilling.
Between August 8 and 9, 2024 — days before Bentlee’s death — she had searched “what better to make bruises fade overnight,” “homemade bruise cream,” and “carpet imprint in face how long does it take to go away.”
On August 16, the day Bentlee collapsed, her phone showed one more search: “how to get someone to come to when you pass out.”
She never searched for 911. She never called.
A child left to die
A Head Start teacher arrived at the home and found Bentlee unresponsive — feet propped up, face blue, not breathing.
The teacher began CPR. Bloyer had not.
Investigators say Bloyer admitted she picked up the child and threw him, causing him to strike his head hard. By the time Bentlee reached the hospital, he was covered in bruises and had suffered serious internal injuries.
He was pronounced brain-dead on arrival. He died three days later on August 19, 2024.
His official cause of death: cardiac arrest caused by head trauma.
Convicted — but the fight for justice took time
On Thursday, a jury found Bloyer guilty of third-degree murder. Pennsylvania is one of only three jurisdictions in the country that still carries this charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele called it what it was.
“This was a very horrible case,” he said. “We did get justice for Bentlee today.”
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Bentlee Myers deserved better — from every adult in his life. What do you think an appropriate sentence looks like in a case like this? Share your thoughts in the comments.