A man in Independence, Missouri, has been charged with child endangerment after his 3-year-old son fell from the eighth story of an apartment building and died. The man’s girlfriend is also facing the same charges, with no listed attorney for either of them in online court records.
Emergency services responded to the apartment building in the Kansas City suburb on Monday following a report from a fourth-floor resident who witnessed the child’s fall. Despite being rushed to a hospital, the boy was pronounced dead.
Court records indicate that the father and his girlfriend were aware of issues with securing the window in the room where the children lived for several months. Neighbors and building management had reportedly warned them about the children throwing toys out of the window.
The girlfriend confessed to police that she had long feared one of the children might fall out of the window but still left them unattended in the room for extended periods. A probable cause statement revealed the apartment was filled with trash, resulting in the other two children being taken into state protective custody, with one disclosing being whipped during an interview.
Residents in the building, like Elliot West, disclosed to The Kansas City Star the lack of central air conditioning throughout the summer, prompting people to keep their windows open. The weather on Monday was hot and humid, with temperatures in the mid-90s.
