His family had been searching for him for months before they ever learned where he was. By the time they found him, they were saying goodbye in a hospital room instead.
A Toddler, and a Family Trying to Find Him
James "JJ" Sieger Jr. was two years old, the son of James Sieger Sr. and Jasmine Bridgeman. According to his father's family, Bridgeman had left with JJ roughly four months before his death, and they had spent that time trying to locate him, repeatedly asking her to leave him with relatives instead. By the time they found out where he was, in Layton, Utah, where Bridgeman had moved in with her boyfriend, Joshua Schoenenberger, it was already too late.
May 9, 2015
On the evening of May 9, 2015, JJ — still in the process of being potty trained — soiled himself. What followed was a sustained, violent assault by Schoenenberger, fueled by frustration over the child's normal toddler behavior. We're not going to detail every specific act here; what's documented in court records is extensive and genuinely difficult to read. What matters is this: by the time the assault ended, JJ had suffered catastrophic internal injuries, including tearing in his colon, deep bruising, and head trauma.
Bridgeman and Schoenenberger took JJ to Davis County Hospital, where he was found to be in critical condition. He was transferred to Primary Children's Hospital and placed on life support. He died two days later, on May 11, 2015.
Conflicting Stories
Investigators were initially told JJ had been found face-down in a water-filled bathtub — an account that didn't match the physical evidence, since no water was found in his airways. Over the following days, Bridgeman gave police several different versions of what had happened, at one point claiming JJ had been left alone, later admitting she had heard the assault through the bathroom door but had been asked by Schoenenberger to lie about it. Prosecutors said her shifting accounts significantly complicated the early investigation.
A Mother's Sentence, Years Before the Father's Trial
Bridgeman pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in connection with lying to investigators about how JJ had been injured. At her sentencing in April 2016, she read a brief statement: "May my son rest in peace and may God save my soul." She received a sentence of one to fifteen years, with parole eligibility determined separately by the state's parole board.
Schoenenberger's case took considerably longer to resolve. He was charged with aggravated murder, a charge that, under Utah law, could have carried the death penalty — prosecutors ultimately decided not to pursue capital punishment. He pleaded not guilty and went to trial in October 2018, more than three years after JJ's death. His defense argued that no physical evidence definitively tied the fatal injuries to him rather than to Bridgeman, and that his eventual admission of responsibility came only after a thirteen-hour police interrogation, raising questions about its reliability.
A jury wasn't persuaded. After about two hours of deliberation, Schoenenberger was found guilty of aggravated murder. In April 2019, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The sentencing judge described his conduct as "indifferent and cruel," noting the court had heard no expression of remorse from him at any point.
A Promise Kept
JJ's aunt, Nicole Sieger, became the family's most visible voice throughout the years-long legal process. After the verdict, she said: "I promised him that his little two years wouldn't be in vain and his life would mean something... I think today we were able to keep that promise."
She had also spoken, earlier in the case, about JJ's final hours in the hospital, surrounded by family who sang to him: "We moved into the ICU, and we were allowed to hold JJ's hand. We were there with him. We sang 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' to him, that was his special song. He was just learning how to sing that. James held his beautiful hand. I kept my hand on JJ's heart, and we felt him take his last breath and felt his heartbeat for the last time as he left this world."
Where Things Stand
Joshua Schoenenberger remains incarcerated, serving a life sentence without parole. Jasmine Bridgeman became eligible for her first parole hearing in 2020; her case has continued to be reviewed periodically by Utah's Board of Pardons and Parole since then.
JJ's family has continued to speak about him in the years since, determined that a life cut short at two years old would still mean something to the people who loved him.
Sources
Layton man convicted in toddler's 2015 beating death sentenced to life without parole — Gephardt Daily
https://gephardtdaily.com/local/layton-man-convicted-in-toddlers-2015-beating-death-sentenced-to-life-without-parole/
Layton man found guilty of murder in toddler's potty-training death — KSL.com
https://www.ksl.com/article/46405705/layton-man-found-guilty-of-murder-in-toddlers-potty-training-death
Mom Gets Prison For Lying About Son's Potty Training Death — CBS Sacramento
https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/mom-gets-prison-for-lying-about-sons-potty-training-death/