KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City woman whose son was found deceased in November outside a Downtown high-rise has been charged in connection with the child's death, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
Corrinne O'Connor, 28, faces Endangering The Welfare of a Child in the 1st Degree.
According to court records, on Nov. 27, 2023, Kansas City police officers were dispatched to an alley behind a Downtown building and found a deceased 5-year-old boy.
The child had obviously fallen from a floor far above. Investigators observed an open window on the 17th floor. Officers found O'Connor inside the apartment, in front of the window.
An officer asked where her son was and she responded, to the effect, 'went out the window." The property manager told police that every window had "stops" to prevent the window from being opened beyond a few inches. Officers observed that it appeared that the "stops" had been removed on both sides of the window.
Jackson County Prosecutor Baker issued the following statement
I went to this scene to engage at the earliest possible moments of the investigation. The police investigative team have worked diligently on this investigation, ensuring our ability to file charges against the defendant for the harm to this child. While normally charges are announced quickly, all cases are not the same and investigations take multiple steps. In this case, my office filed charges on Dec. 14, 2023. The court issued an order sealing the case until the defendant could be taken into custody. That seal prevented us from even confirming that the case was reviewed and charged by prosecutors though we have continued to engage our resources on this crime.
Anytime a child is injured, the criminal justice system is expected to address harm. It is our hope that the judicial process will find appropriate outcomes for the harm caused.
This case was unsealed Tuesday after the defendant was taken into custody late last week. Prosecutors requested a $100,000 cash bond.
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KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities investigating the death of a boy found in an alley in downtown Kansas City have identified him as 5-year-old Grayson O’Connor.
Surveillance footage confirms he fell from an apartment building on Monday. However, the circumstances surrounding how he fell is still under investigation, according to KCPD Captain Corey Carlisle.
Just after 11a.m. Monday officers were dispatched to 10th and Grand Avenue, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle.
First responders located the boy who was suffering from bodily trauma. EMS pronounced him dead at the scene.
Detectives are still working to decide if this was a homicide or child neglect/endangerment case. As of now it is being investigated as a suspicious death, according to Carlisle.
The boy's mother was transported to the hospital the day of the incident and is the subject of interest in the investigation.
Detectives are in contact with the prosecutor’s office and both are working diligently to present the best case for consideration of charges by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office.
The child and his mother live at the apartment building, due to the ongoing investigation, police did not release the apartment number or floor.
It is believed the boy fell from the apartment window, the means of how that happened is still under investigation.