Payton Ettinger died on May 17, 2010. He was 4 years, 8 months old. And it appears that Payton was murdered. He was murdered by the numbers, the critical numbers in his life – that and he appears to have been slowly starved to death.
Two and Five
These are the first two numbers that led to Payton’s almost five years of dying. Payton was 2 months old when his biological father, Martin Ettinger, battered him so badly he was left with severe disabling brain damage. These brain injuries from abuse at the hands of his biological father left Payton with no verbal skills, and the inability to walk or control physical movements. He was crib-ridden for the rest of his short life – completely dependent on his mother for his care. Martin Ettinger, for this abuse and the first step toward the murder of Payton Ettinger, was sentenced to 5 years.
One and Seventeen
The next important number in Payton’s life is one. Payton was 1 year 1 month old in 2006 which is the last time this severely disabled, brain damaged child was taken to see a doctor, or as far as any records have shown to date, taken for any medical care whatsoever by his mother, Courtney Tressler. On this last doctor visit of record Payton weighed 17 pounds.
Four and Twelve
On May 17, 2010 Courtney Tressler called the Greensburg, Indiana police and reported her son, Payton Ettinger, was dead. When police arrived Courtney told them she had fed him that morning and then later went to check on him to find him dead in his crib. Problem is, when little Payton’s emaciated body was autopsied, no food or water was present in his stomach or intestines. Payton was 4 years 8 months old and he weighed 12 pounds. (That is in the 3 percentile for expected weight of a 4 year old boy.) The autopsy concluded he died of severe malnutrition and dehydration – having no body fat whatsoever.
Two and Fifteen-thousand
But not feeding Payton for God only knows how long isn’t the only thing Courtney Tressler lied to police about after reporting her son dead. She claimed she had last taken him to a clinic for a check up in 2009. The investigation discovered that Payton had had NO medical care recorded since that last doctor visit in 2006 when he was 1 year old. Apparently investigators wanted to know, and rightfully so, with the obvious signs of severe physical distress of the starving little boy, why Courtney had not sought medical attention for Payton before he died. Her response was that she wanted to, but they were financially unable to get him medical attention.
Two days after Payton died Courtney Tressler sought medical attention for HERSELF. By the way, Courtney is out on bail for which she had to put up $15,000 bond.
Courtney is being charged with reckless homicide and neglect of a dependent due to her failure to provide basic care for Payton. Her current husband, Greg Tressler, in a front porch interview with local media in which he came off looking like a chicken-headed rednecked, meth addict, said this is all a misunderstanding. He says they live in a little town and someone’s trying to make a big name for themselves. I suggest Greg shake his scrawny ass back in the house and shut the door before that SOMEONE comes for him and demands to know how he didn’t know a child was starving to death in his own home.
Rest in peace Payton.
Payton Ettinger
(Courtesy of WTHR.com)
Valhall.
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