3-year-old was suffocated at day care and lay dead for hours, Missouri mom says
A 3-year-old boy died in a Missouri day care when a worker applied weight to his body to make him sleep, according to a lawsuit filed by the child's mother.
The body of Conrad David Wade Ashcraft remained on the floor of Poppy's Playhouse in Park Hills 'for hours' Friday, May 16, legal representation for Tara Williams said in the wrongful death lawsuit.
Lacey Hardie, Conrad's aunt, described the incident as 'a horrific, callous, negligent, and senseless act that never should have happened,' KMOV reported.
Hardie said her nephew was a nonverbal boy who had autism, according to KSDK.
No charges have been announced as of May 21.
Poppy's Playhouse has not publicly commented on the fatal incident. McClatchy News attempted to reach out to the day care May 21, but calls were not answered.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Office of Childhood is conducting an investigation, KMOV reported, as is the St. Francois County Sheriff's Department, which called the death a 'heartbreaking event.'
'We understand the community's grief and concern,' the City of Park Hills said in a statement. 'The city has full confidence in the independent investigation and believes that accountability is essential, regardless of the circumstances.'
The incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the Park Hills Police Department, but the investigation was turned over to the sheriff's office because Poppy's Playhouse is owned by Park Hills Councilwoman Spring Gray.
Gray resigned from her city council position, Park Hills Mayor Stacey Easter said May 20.
The lawsuit did not name the worker who Williams has accused of killing her son.
'Defendant, through the use of lower extremities, applied weight and pressure to (the victim's) chest and/or abdomen, while he was laying down, in order to subdue (the victim) in an effort to force him to sleep,' according to the lawsuit filed against Poppy's Playhouse.
Conrad was suffocated, Williams said in the lawsuit, which accuses Poppy's Playhouse of failure to 'properly train and supervise its employees to insure safe interaction between staff and children.'
It was Williams who found her son's lifeless body when she came to pick up her son nearly four hours after his nap time began, Hardie told KSDK.
Williams is seeking compensation for the 'suffering' and 'aggravating circumstances' of her son's death, the lawsuit states.
According to an obituary, Conrad enjoyed swimming, spending time with his family, as well as the TV series 'Cocomelon' and movie franchises 'Toy Story' and 'Cars.'
'He was a beautiful child. He enjoyed being free and living his sweet little life,' Hardie told KTVI.
Park Hills is about a 65-mile drive southwest from St. Louis.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Miami Herald
Woman has boyfriend kill her stepdad for life insurance payout, Florida cops say
A woman increased her stepdad's life insurance policy to $750,000, then 16 days later had her boyfriend kill him, Florida authorities said. A jury convicted 48-year-old Perry Stanley of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the State Attorney's Office for the Seventh Judicial Circuit announced June 26. His girlfriend at the time, 36-year-old Myesha Williams, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a firearm in January, Volusia County records show. She awaits sentencing. Williams' attorney told McClatchy News that Williams testified on behalf of the state twice during Stanley's trial. Stanley's attorney didn't respond to comment June 27. The conviction comes more than six years after the couple was accused of conspiring to kill 59-year-old Terrence Gibson for money, according to the Volusia Sheriff's Office. In 2018, Williams took out a $25,000 life insurance policy on her stepfather, who helped raise her and was married to Williams' mother before she died, officers with the DeLand Police Department wrote in an arrest affidavit. When Williams took out the policy, she told the insurance agent not to worry about adding Gibson's daughter to the plan, listing herself as the sole beneficiary, according to investigators who obtained a recording of the conversation. But 16 days before her stepfather was shot four times and killed, she called the insurance agency again, police said. She wanted to increase her stepdad's policy from $25,000 to $750,000, according to police. She asked what the payout would be if her stepdad died in an accident versus if he was killed, and how she would make her claim, police said. The insurance agent told her if someone hurt him, the payout would be $150,000, according to investigators. Prosecutors said Stanley impersonated Gibson on the phone to confirm the policy details. The day Gibson died, Williams told detectives she picked up her stepdad and they visited her mom's grave, then she brought him to a vacant field known as a hangout spot called the Watering Hole, police said. Not long after, witnesses said a man wearing all black and a ski mask walked up to Gibson and shot him multiple times in the back before fleeing, police said. A K-9 tracked the scent, and investigators found a dropped cell phone in the sand next to a set of footprints, according to police. Photos on the phone led police to believe it belonged to Perry Stanley. Phone records show that seven minutes before Gibson was killed, Stanley called Williams and spoke to her for three minutes, according to prosecutors and police. Williams said her boyfriend was named Tim, and when shown a photo of Stanley, she said that wasn't Tim, according to police. Stanley also initially denied knowing Williams, detectives said. Phone records contradicted that story, showing the pair was frequently in the same location in the 10-day period leading up to Gibson's death, according to police. But during an interview nearly eight months after the killing, Williams changed her story, and when shown a photo of Stanley again, she said that was her boyfriend she had been referring to as Tim, investigators said. She said in the September 2019 interview that the day Gibson died at the Watering Hole, she was driving away from the area when she saw Stanley walk up behind Gibson with a gun, then she heard shots, according to police. Police said they learned the couple met up after Gibson was killed, and Stanley burned his clothes. A few days later, Williams called the insurance company to tell them her stepfather had been killed, according to investigators. In October 2020, a grand jury indicted both of them on first-degree murder charges. DeLand is in Volusia County, about a 40-mile drive north from Orlando.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Porsha Williams Paid Simon Guobadia's Child Support And More Amid ICE Detainment
Porsha Williams has seemingly stepped up to support her ex-husband, Simon Guobadia, after he was detained by ICE. In newly-surfaced court audio, the Real Housewives of Atlanta star confirmed that she paid his child support and other household expenses. 'Yes, I paid his child support for his two sons. I also paid maintenance for the house— outside of utilities,' said Williams. When asked by a judge why she chose to do so, Williams explained, 'I really got concerned, being that Simon was still detained […] I'm still married to him at the end of the day, and I just really felt it was unfortunate that they weren't getting any help. The mother had reached out to my assistant and said she was concerned. When I spoke to her, she made me aware that it had not been paid, I paid [his child support].' The couple's divorce was recently finalized. She filed after just over a year of marriage and asked the court to enforce the terms of their prenup. Guobadia tried to contest said terms, which included monthly alimony, division of property, and legal cost coverage. A judge sided with Williams and he's since been deported to Nigeria. After being detained, Guobadia spoke highly about the Trump administration to US Weekly. 'Donny, like I refer to him, we are very similar. We're both Geminis, and some of his antics— I certainly can understand it. Sometimes [I would] say that we are misunderstood.' He noted, 'I don't have any animosity towards the situation. I don't have any problems with Donald Trump like any other CEO or chief executive, who I am. We look to hire the best people we can find. And the issues that he's dealing with are no different than any other organization. I feel that I have a very unique perspective on this situation, considering that I was there for as long as I was. And there are so many things that I saw that I feel that I can help the administration with.' Guobadia currently has no plans to 'fight' to get back into America, but if offered, he would return. More from Kim Kardashian Speaks Out Against ICE Raids: "Our Communities Thrive Because Of The Contributions Of Immigrants" The Game Expresses Solidarity With Fellow L.A. Residents Amid Anti-ICE Protests Jamie Foxx Enjoys Miami Night Out With 'RHOA' Stars Porsha Williams, Phaedra Parks, And Cynthia Bailey
Miami Herald
20-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Kindergarten ‘Teacher of the Year' accused of sending child porn, MO cops say
A woman who in 2024 was named Teacher of the Year at her Missouri school is accused of sending child porn on social media, authorities say. Erika Morton, a kindergarten teacher in St. Francois County, is charged with five counts of promoting child pornography and five counts of child pornography possession, according to a probable cause statement. Using the social media platform Kik, Morton sent the videos in January and February during a 'sexually charged' conversation with another user, Missouri State Highway Patrol said. She acknowledged the victims in the videos are under the age of 18, troopers said. Morton admitted to sending the content during an interview with troopers, saying she sent them using her phone at her home in Ste. Genevieve, according to the charging documents. 'The suspect is employed as a kindergarten teacher at a public school in St. Francois County and has expressed a sexual interest in children,' authorities said. Farmington R-7 School District did not name the teacher but said in a statement to KSDK that a Truman Learning Center staff member 'is no longer employed' by the district after it learned of the allegations. The district does not believe the 'alleged incidents took place on school grounds or involved any Farmington R-7 students.' As first reported by KSDK, Morton was recognized during a December school board meeting as the school's Teacher of the Year. She taught in the district for 10 years. Records show Morton was jailed on a $1 million bond. Truman Learning Center is in Farmington, about a 70-mile drive south from St. Louis.
