A 37-year-old Missouri woman is facing charges after a toddler she was responsible for died; fentanyl was later found in the child’s system.
Mary Curtis is charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Police say she was a caretaker for 17-month-old Brailey Stevenson and was watching her on March 20 when Stevenson went to sleep on the floor. Curtis later took Stevenson to another caretaker, who called police out of concern for the toddler. Police say Stevenson was taken to a hospital, where she later died.
A toxicology report showed Stevenson had fentanyl and xylazine in her system, appeared normal when she was placed with Curtis and appeared to be unconscious when Curtis brought her to the other caretaker, authorities said.
Authorities say Curtis was out on bond from a child endangerment charge in St. Louis City and is also accused in two other child overdose cases. She has been investigated by the Missouri Department of Social Service’s Children’s Division several times.
Curtis was charged in St. Louis County in July 2022 with endangering the welfare of a child, interference with custody, and possession of a controlled substance. A probable cause statement says a social worker with the Missouri Department of Family Services took Curtis’ child to her home for a visitation. Police allege that Curtis put her child in a car and drove away. The state had custody of the child at the time. Curtis was arrested after the incident.
Prosecutors in St. Louis County also accused Curtis of resisting arrest for a felony after police claimed she evaded a traffic stop, crashed a vehicle and fled officers in September 2022. That incident happened in the 5600 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard.
Curtis is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond. Court records show her bond was revoked on March 31 for the July 2022 child endangerment case.
Tell us your thoughts...