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The family of a Cleburne teen who received a surprise visit from a WWE wrestler is the focus of a child abuse investigation by Fort Worth Police and Child Protective Services.
Colby Tutt, 13, became somewhat of a local celebrity after he received a visit from WWE wrestler Eric Rowan and was taken in a limo to WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium in April. There were several fundraisers set up, including a GoFundMe account to help pay his medical bills.
The family says doctors told them Colby was dying and was sent to hospice care. But now, he and his brother have been removed from the home, and their parents are fighting to get them back.
A Fort Worth Police report shows on May 6, they were called to Cook Children's Medical Center to investigate an ‘injury to a child’ claim.
The boy’s parents, Danita and Clint Tutt, and their attorney say the investigation was based on an anonymous tip staff received that the parents were withholding food and water from him.
The case was referred to the Crimes Against Children Division, and CPS was called. Three days later on May 9, CPS removed Colby and his brother from their parents’ care. At the time, Colby was being cared for by hospice nurses at the Ronald McDonald house near Cook Children's.
Both parents and their attorney declined an on-camera interview. However, attorney Christopher Cooke said in a statement that the parents "became concerned about his level of care. As a result, they made plans to transfer Colby from hospice to Children's Medical Center of Dallas.”
Cooke says Colby was showing signs that his health was improving, and on the day his parents called for an ambulance to take him to Dallas is when the anonymous tip came in.
On Thursday, Danita Tutt filed her own criminal complaint at the Burleson Police Department against a woman who is now an estranged friend and who helped organize a fundraiser for Colby. Sources close to the family claim the woman stole thousands of dollars intended for the teen's medical bills. She emphatically denied taking any of the family's money.