Police: Mother facing charges after 3-year-old son found dead with drugs in system

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) - A Kansas City woman is facing charges after police say they found her child unresponsive inside a home earlier this week.

According to court records, the Kansas City Police Department responded to reports of a child who died at a residence on Wednesday.

First responders reportedly found a 3-year-old boy unresponsive and covered up on a bed. Officers said they removed a blanket and saw the boy not moving with discolored feet.

KCTV reports the officers also noted seeing a raised, discolored scab on the boy’s back that indicated a possible infection.

Authorities said the 3-year-old’s body was taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital, where lab results indicated he had amphetamines in his system.

The boy’s mother, Michaela Chism, reportedly told police that she had stayed at the residence for about two weeks. She said the people in the home, including herself, consumed controlled substances, including methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Police said Chism told investigators that one evening she woke up and began watching TV and noticed her son was not moving. She went to check on him, and he was unresponsive.

According to court documents, Chism told police her son had died on the couch and was moved to a bedroom when police were initially called to the home for a welfare check.

Authorities said they obtained a search warrant and detectives found drug paraphernalia throughout the residence, crystal-like substances and multiple prescription pill bottles.

Police report Chism has been charged with first-degree child endangerment and first-degree child endangerment involving drugs in the case that remains under investigation.