(LEX 18) — In a protective order hearing last week with connections to the Robertson County woman charged with killing and dismembering her mother, the parties brought up the 2021 death of a 2-year-old in California.
Documents provided to LEX 18 outline an investigation into the death of the boy, who was in the care of Torilena Fields, the woman now charged with murder and abuse of a corpsein the Kentucky dismemberment case.
The boy’s death was first brought up when Telby Fields, the sister of Torilena Fields, filed for a protective order against their brother, Truitt Fields. In Telby Fields’ motion, she wrote that Truitt Fields had threatened members of the family and alleged that Torilena Fields was acting under his “advisement” when she killed their mother, Trudy Fields.
Telby Fields was initially granted an emergency protective order, but after the hearing she was denied a full protective order. The judge said there was no evidence of recent threats, and no evidence that Truitt Fields had any connection to or involvement in Trudy Fields’ death.
In the same motion for the protective order, Telby Fields also made allegations over what she called the suspicious death of Truitt Fields’ son in California in 2021.
The Riverside Sheriff’s Office in California verified that the investigative records provided to LEX 18 appeared consistent with the records they have on file in the case.
The records state that Torilena Fields was caring for Truitt Fields’ three sons, her nephews, after they were removed from his custody. She was living with the three young boys in a fifth-wheel trailer at an RV park in California, according to the records.
Torilena Fields told investigators that on Aug. 26, 2021, she’d put the 2-year-old boy down for a nap in his crib, and the second time she checked on him his eyes were open and his lips were purple, according to the records. She performed CPR on him until responders arrived.
Investigators noted that the trailer was tidy, decorated with the boys’ art and there were plenty of toys and healthy foods at the trailer for the kids, according to the records. They also noted that the air was on in the trailer, and the temperature was comfortable.
According to the records, a coroner ultimately ruled the cause of the boy’s death as hyperthermia, meaning a person's internal body temperature is higher than normal.
During the recent protective order hearing, Truitt Fields told the Kentucky judge that his son had died of “SIDS”, or sudden infant death syndrome.
In the Kentucky protective order hearing last week, both Telby Fields and another one of her brothers, Titus Fields, testified that their mother, Trudy, believed Truitt and Torilena Fields had something to do with the boy’s death.
“I have handwritten notes somewhere where she says she knows what happened to the baby Tristan and that Torilena and Truitt need to tell the truth,” Titus Fields said at the hearing.
The California case was “closed exceptional” in 2021, meaning there wasn’t sufficient evidence to determine whether the boy’s death was intentional or accidental, according to the documents. It does not appear anyone was ever charged in the case.
The documents also stated that the case can be reopened if further investigative leads or evidence are discovered.
LEX 18 reached out to Torilena Fields, who is being held at the Bourbon County jail. Jail employees said she had no comment.
