Mother indicted in beating death of Soddy-Daisy 3-year-old

Dakota Arndt

Brianna Kwekel's 3-year-old son Dakota Arndt lies in his grave in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., just miles from the house where he was beaten to death by his mother's live-in boyfriend.

Kwekel was not home the night her boyfriend, Justin Bradley, beat her son six months ago. She was serving a scheduled 48-hour DUI sentence, but according to the Tennessee Department of Children's Services Child Protective Service Investigation Summary, she is responsible for Dakota's death.

And this wasn't the first time DCS had investigated alleged abuse of the child -- rampant bruising on his body and signals of sexual abuse.

"There is a preponderance of evidence to support the allegations of neglect death, sexual abuse, and physical abuse," according to the 40-page investigative report conducted after the boy had died.

Family members say Kwekel, 23, is living in Michigan, and raising the newborn son she had with Bradley, who admitted his guilt in Dakota's death to investigators days before he hanged himself with a sheet in the Hamilton County Jail. He was the lone suspect in the boy's death -- until now.

A warrant has been issued for Kwekel's arrest, and she has been indicted for aggravated child endangerment, according to Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston.

Once arrested, Kwekel will be brought back to Hamilton County where she will appear in Criminal Court, and if convicted, she will spend anywhere from 15-25 years behind prison bars.

Dakota's biological father, Tyler Arndt, said he is relieved that DCS investigated the case and found Kwekel partially responsible for his son's death. He raised Dakota with Kwekel in Michigan for the first two years of the boy's life, before she packed up and took their son to Tennessee. Arndt said he fought to gain full custody of Dakota -- because he never trusted Kwekel as a parent, citing numerous instances of her reckless behavior.

Arndt said he is willing to testify in court, and that he believes Kwekel deserves to be locked away for the way she abused their son. He said the report confirms everything he has been thinking.

"I'm just glad that it seems like someone finally cares," Arndt said. " ... I'm not surprised by the findings of the report, and I am glad that it came out so everyone else can know what she did."

It is protocol for Tennessee's DCS to inform Michigan's Department of Human Services about their investigation findings.

Bob Johnson, spokesman for Michigan's Department of Human Services, said when Michigan receives information from another state, the report is reviewed and a local investigation conducted to determine appropriate action.

He is not allowed to say if the department is currently investigating Kwekel.

Tyler Arndt holds his infant son, Dakota, in 2009.

In Tennessee, DCS investigated a report of child abuse involving Kwekel, Bradley and Dakota before the boy died. Erlanger hospital records show that the child was treated for injuries that doctors believed may have resulted from child abuse in June 2014. According to DCS records, no action was taken and the allegations were determined to be unsubstantiated.

Ten weeks later, Dakota returned to the hospital beaten unconscious. He died two days later.

Less than a month prior to Dakota's death, Kwekel filed a restraining order against Bradley citing domestic abuse. When asked to describe the abuse, Kwekel wrote in a sloppy scrawl, "I feel like my life and my unborn childs [sic] life is at danger. Justin has repeatedly choked me and has held me to the ground several times stating if I don't give him what he wants he will take my life and the life of my unborn childs [sic] life."

In the restraining order, she never mentions concern for Dakota's safety.

Kwekel told investigators that she allowed Bradley to move back in with her and Dakota soon after she filed the restraining order, according to the DCS report.

"She allowed [Bradley] to return to the home and had left him as the caretaker of [Dakota] while she served her DUI sentence," the report reads.

Kwekel was asked by the Times Free Press in January, following a Juvenile Court hearing in regards to her parental rights, why she allowed Bradley to watch her son. She responded that she never intended for him to be alone with the boy.

"I just never thought he [Bradley] would do this," Kwekel said at that time, through tears, during a phone interview from Michigan. "Dakota was loved by me so much."

Kwekel did not return phone calls on Friday.

Kathy Medenblik, who is the adoptive mother of Kwekel's first child, said she is thankful that she has been able to raise Kwekel's daughter and protect her from the abuse Dakota endured. Medenblik also partly raised Kwekel as she moved through the foster care system in Michigan.

"I have to say I'm relieved that there are finally charges against her," Medenblik said over the phone. "I just don't want another child to be hurt."

Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.