Family speaks about the death of 3-year-old Soddy-Daisy boy

SODDY-DAISY, TN (WDEF-TV) A family member said he doesn’t believe three-year-old, Dakota Arndt drowned in a bathtub as a report indicated, but he believe Dakota was abused by the mother’s boyfriend while she was gone.

"No human being can hurt a child like that and still be human inside," said Dakota’s cousin Terry Leffew. "You’ve got to be a monster."

Leffew’s was full of anger and tried to wrap his mind around what happened is his lovable little cousin.

"How you can take a beautiful three-year-old child, sweet always smiling always happy," he said.

On August 27, three-year-old Dakota Arndt reportedly drowned in a bath tub while under supervision of his mother’s boyfriend, Justin Dale Bradley, who was arrested and charged with Criminal Homicide of the three-year-old.

Leffew, said he does not believe what Bradley told him.

"He gave me a story that he had woke Dakota up put him in the bathtub, and went outside to bring Dakota’s puppies in. He said when he came back in there he found Dakota lifeless in the tub."

Laffew added that what he saw in the hospital was something completely different.

"He had knots and bruises on his head a body."

An autopsy of Dakota’s body is underway and that will determine the exact cause of death, but it won’t bring any peace of mind this his grieving family.

"How you could hurt a child like that, beat a child until he dies."

The family told News 12 that Dakota’s organs were donated and say in the wake of this tragedy he has already saved three lives.