BATON ROUGE — Ty'Shawn Brumfield, 5, died three years after he was severely beaten by his babysitter, Howard Youngblood.

In 2022, Ty'Shawn Brumfield's mother dropped off her 22-month-old son with Youngblood before she went to work. Police were later called and arrived to find the toddler unresponsive.

Youngblood claimed the child fell down the stairs, but doctors said Ty'Shawn's injuries could not have been caused by a single fall. A friend of the family, Shelia Archie Bailey, described his injuries to WBRZ.

"The baby had brain damage. Broken bones in his back. He also went blind because of the injuries," said Bailey.

Ty'Shawn had just started walking before the incident. Afterward, he was unable to walk, feed himself or see.

His uncle, Felton Brumfield, said watching his nephew fight to live for nearly four years broke his heart.

"He meant the world to me. He didn't deserve it. He still had his whole life ahead of him," Brumfield said.

Family and friends remembered Ty'Shawn as a joyful child.

"Ty'Shawn loved to eat. He was a cute little fella. All the happiness and joy of life was stolen from him," Bailey said.

Loved ones gathered to say their final goodbyes during a funeral service filled with emotions on Friday, June 26.

Youngblood pleaded guilty to second-degree cruelty to a juvenile in 2025. He was released from prison in May 2026 and placed on probation. After Ty'Shawn's death, he was booked on first-degree murder on Wednesday, June 24.

"He deserves not to be able to do this to somebody else's child again. And put another family through this," Brumfield said.

After years of hospital visits and physical therapy, Ty'Shawn's family said their focus now shifts to making sure the person they believe is responsible is held accountable. Justice to them means a life sentence.