In the quiet town of Leeds, Alabama, the life of a young boy named Tyler Michael Haws was tragically cut short. Two-year-old Tyler, a Caucasian male, passed away on April 21, 2019, leaving a community in mourning and a family searching for answers. His death would unravel a heartbreaking story of abuse at the hands of someone entrusted with his care.
Four days before his death, on April 17, 2019, Tyler was admitted to Children's Hospital in Birmingham.
He was unresponsive and bore unexplained injuries. Medical professionals determined that the severe bleeding in his brain was consistent with having been violently shaken. At the time he sustained these fatal injuries, Tyler was in the care of his legal guardian, Jason Daniel Sparks.
The Leeds Police Department launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Tyler's condition. The evidence they gathered led to the arrest of Jason Daniel Sparks on April 30, 2019. He was subsequently charged with murder and aggravated child abuse. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement officials indicated that the investigation was ongoing and that further arrests were possible.
Following the devastating loss, Tyler's family, including his father, Vincent Haws, and his mother, Glenda 'GiGi' Simpson, prepared to lay their son to rest. Funeral services were held on May 7, 2019, in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where family and friends gathered to say their final goodbyes to the little boy whose life was tragically taken.
