'Normal grandpa stuff': Man kept infant granddaughter in filthy, sweltering trailer where she died, police say

Photos from inside the trailer where Travis Study and Destynie Study were living with Destynie's now-deceased infant (Big Horn County Circuit Court).

A 57-year-old man in Wyoming was arrested in connection with the death of his 2-month-old granddaughter — who died last month in a sweltering trailer teeming with bugs, drugs, and human waste — after allegedly telling authorities that the care he provided for the victim amounted to "normal grandpa stuff."

Travis Study is facing one felony count of endangering a child through exposure to methamphetamine as well as misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment, endangering a child, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of marijuana, records show.

The victim's mother, 22-year-old Destynie Study, was charged with reckless endangering and endangering a child, both misdemeanors.

Both defendants allegedly told investigators that Travis Study regularly helped care for the victim and the victim's 1-year-old sibling when Destynie Study was not home.

In an interview with police, Destynie Study said she fed and changed her daughter around 1:30 a.m. on July 6, then woke around 9:45 a.m. and found the victim unresponsive in her crib, Billings, Montana, CBS affiliate KTVQ reported. She used her father's car to drive the baby to Three Rivers Hospital while calling 911.

At the hospital, authorities said, an "overwhelming smell of body odor, urine and feces was coming from [Destynie Study's] person and the room," according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Cowboy State Daily.

Investigators said a similar putrid odor emanated from the victim's body, and noted that her diaper was "completely saturated in urine" and contained at least one live insect.

Agents searched the trailer later that day and recovered a 5-gallon bucket containing human waste and a crib that was similarly saturated in urine and feces. The trailer reportedly had no running water or sewage disposal system, and investigators measured the temperature inside at about 95 degrees.

Investigators also allegedly recovered more than 20 grams of marijuana and a glass pipe containing residue that tested positive for methamphetamine.

Travis Study allegedly described his caring for the children as "normal grandpa stuff," according to the Cowboy State Daily.

When agents asked to take Destynie's cellphone as evidence, Travis allegedly threatened that it would be "a bad day" for anyone who came to his home in connection with the investigation, the affidavit states.

The Wyoming Department of Family Services and Manderson police had reportedly contacted the family four times since April over concerns about living conditions, malnutrition, and missed medical appointments.

When caseworkers and police attempted to make contact in June, Travis Study allegedly told them to "get the f— off his property and never come back," according to Cowboy State Daily.

Travis Study is currently being held in the Big Horn County Detention Center on $75,000 cash-only bond.

During Travis Study's arraignment last week, Big Horn County prosecuting attorney Marcia Bean opposed a request to reduce his bond, citing his prior criminal history and describing his trailer as "some of the worst conditions law enforcement had seen," according to a report from the Basin Republican Rustler.

Bean emphasized that the investigation into the infant's death remains ongoing, reportedly noting that autopsy results could lead to additional charges against one or both of the defendants.

The defendants both pleaded not guilty to all charges. Travis Study's trial is expected to be scheduled within 180 days, while Destynie Study's trial is currently scheduled for Dec. 8, the Rustler reported.