Autopsy findings released Wednesday lay out in stark detail how 9-month-old Michael Tustin died in September, with multiple skull fractures, brain bleeds and severe neck injuries that Franklin County’s coroner has concluded were the result of abuse. The death has been ruled a homicide, and his mother, Billie Jo Tustin, has been indicted on aggravated murder and murder counts, while her live-in boyfriend, Anfernee Barthel, faces involuntary manslaughter and child-endangerment charges in connection with the case.
According to reporting from The Columbus Dispatch, the coroner’s report also notes optic-nerve bleeding, severe hemorrhaging to the right eye, and injuries at the top of the neck between the skull and the first vertebra. The paper reports that the cause of death was listed as “abusive head trauma and other severe injuries.”
What the coroner found
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office finalized the autopsy on March 18 and documented multiple skull fractures, cerebral hemorrhaging, brain swelling and an optic-nerve sheath hemorrhage that the office said were consistent with blunt-force trauma, according to the coroner’s office. Investigators relied on those findings to classify the infant’s death as a homicide and to include the full autopsy report in the criminal case file.
Court records and alleged admissions
Probable-cause affidavits and other filings reviewed by reporters state that Tustin told detectives she threw Michael roughly 15 feet across a room and that she had at times spanked or slapped him. That account is summarized by Law&Crime, which cites court records and local reporting in describing the allegations.
Scene, response and child-welfare involvement
On Sept. 17, 2025, Columbus Division of Fire medics were dispatched to the 900 block of North 4th Street in Italian Village and found the infant in critical condition, according to a Columbus Division of Police press release. Michael was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.
Franklin County Children Services had previously been involved with the family in a case related to Tustin’s 3-year-old daughter. That child is now in the agency’s custody, as described in our earlier reporting at Columbus mother charged with murder.
Legal status
Tustin is facing counts that include aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault and endangering children. Barthel is charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering children. Court records and local coverage place Tustin’s bond at about $1.2 million and Barthel’s at around $790,000, and both have entered not guilty pleas, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Prosecutors say the autopsy report will be part of the evidence as the case moves through the courts…