The death of a child was brought up in a domestic case related to the Robertson Co. dismemberment

(LEX 18) – In a protective order hearing last week with ties 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 describe 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 corpse in the Kentucky dismemberment case.

The boy's death was first brought up when Telby Fields, Torilena Fields' sister, filed for an order of protection against her brother, Truitt Fields. In Telby Fields' motion, she wrote that Truitt Fields threatened members of the family and claimed that Torilena Fields acted on his “advice” when she killed her mother, Trudy Fields.

Telby Fields was initially granted an urgent protection order, but after the hearing she was denied a full protection order. The judge said there was no evidence of recent threats and no evidence that Truitt Fields had any connection to or involvement in Truitt Fields' death.

In the same protective order request, Telby Fields also made allegations about 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 documents submitted to LEX 18 matched the documents they had on file in the case.

According to the documents, Torilena Fields cared for Truitt Fields' three sons, her nephews, after they were removed from his care. According to the documents, she lived in a semi-trailer at a mobile home park in California with the three young boys.

Torilena Fields told investigators that she put the 2-year-old boy down in his crib for a nap on Aug. 26, 2021, and when she checked on him the second time, his eyes were open and his lips were purple, according to the records. She performed CPR on him until emergency services arrived.

According to the records, investigators noted that the trailer was tidy and decorated with the boys' art and that there were plenty of toys and healthy foods in the trailer for the children. They also noted that the air conditioning in the trailer was turned on and the temperature was comfortable.

According to the documents, a medical examiner ultimately ruled the boy's cause of death was hyperthermia, meaning a person's internal body temperature is above normal.

During the recent protective order hearing, Truitt Fields told the judge in Kentucky that his son died of “SIDS,” or sudden infant death syndrome.

At last week's protective order hearing in Kentucky, both Telby Fields and 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 case in California was “exceptionally closed” in 2021, meaning there was insufficient evidence to determine whether the boy's death was intentional or accidental, according to the documents. Apparently no one was ever charged in the case.

The documents also said the case could be reopened if additional leads or evidence were discovered.

LEX 18 reached out to Torilena Fields, who is being held at the Bourbon County Jail. Jail officials said she had no comment.