Woman accused of faking birth, death and burial of child

VERMILLION COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - A bizarre case out of Vermillion County, Indiana.

In a Probable Cause Affidavit sent to News 10, Summer D. Tryon is accused of faking a baby’s birth, death and burial, all in an effort to get back at an ex-boyfriend.

An investigation was initiated  after a woman called a Vermillion County funeral home claiming Tryon was faking the birth of a child and had posted pictures on Facebook of another person’s child, claiming them as her own.

Officials indicated that in March, Tryon contacted Deverter Funeral Home in Cayuga, IN for a memorial service for Lilly Mae Bex. Bex was reportedly the deceased infant of Tryon.

Tryon stated she had the child in Billings, Montana. She told officials she moved there with James Garretson, her ex-husband, after breaking up with her boyfriend, Michael Bex, of Clinton.

Tryon then told authorities the child died and was cremated at Carter Funeral Home in Montana.

Even though no one had heard of this funeral home, Deverter continued on with the memorial service for Bex on March 24, 2012.

Further investigation revealed there was no birth or death record for Bex.

No officials in Montana, where Tryon said the baby was cremated, could vouch for the services.

Five days after the memorial service had taken place for Bex, Tryon was questioned about the birth and death of Bex.

She told authorities that shortly after Thanksgiving in 2011, she was four months pregnant with Bex, when she separated from her boyfriend.

She then said she moved to Billings, Montana with her ex-husband, rented a house and got a job at a local hotel.

Tryon stated that during her pregnancy, she had been seen by doctors at Rhinestone Clinic.

She stated she went into labor on March 8 and was admitted to St. Vincent’s Hospital.

On March 9, Tryon claimed Bex was placed into intensive care and was suffering from a blockage in her intestines and her kidneys were shutting down.

Tryon stated Bex was slated to be transferred to St. Jude’s Hospital, but died on March 11.

Tryon told authorities she decided to donate Bex’s heart after finding out another child at the hospital was in need of a transplant.

Tryon claimed she paid Carter Funeral Home $1,000 to handle the arrangements for Bex, adding she wanted her cremated and sent back to Cayuga for burial.

Officials say Tryon claimed to have received a package in the mail containing the remains of her dead child.

On March 24, a memorial service was held and the “remains” were buried in Eugene Cemetery.

After a period of time, Tryon admitted she had faked Bex’s birth in an effort to make her ex-boyfriend feel bad for hurting her.

The pictures she had used for the Obituary and posted on Facebook were reportedly photos of a baby belonging to a friend of hers from Billings.

After questioning Tryon about the contents inside the package she had received in the mail, Tryon admitted to gathering ashes from a barbeque grill located at Shades State Park near Waveland, Indiana.

Tryon is being charged with Deception, a Class A Misdemeanor.

She is being held at the Vermillion County Jail on $7,000 bond.

A court date has not yet been set.