SIKESTON, MO – A Missouri mother is facing serious charges after her 1-year-old child died from what authorities described as neglect and malnutrition. Alyssa Wehmeyer, 21, was arrested in connection to her child’s death on February 28, as per an investigation by the Missouri Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control.
The investigation revealed that the child had been left unfed for an extended period, leading to a state of severe malnutrition. Authorities determined that the last time the toddler ate was on February 26, according to details in a probable cause affidavit.
Tragically, the child’s death was attributed to dehydration, with negligible evidence of food found in the child’s stomach during an autopsy.
Wehmeyer reportedly informed investigators that she had fed the child on the evening of February 26, approximately 36 hours before it was estimated that the child passed away.
The next day, despite not having fed the child for 24 hours, she changed the baby’s diaper and placed the child to sleep.
On the morning of February 28, around 2 a.m., Wehmeyer allegedly heard her baby crying and attended to the child briefly before returning the baby to bed. Later that day, at about 1 p.m., she discovered the baby was not breathing and noted that the child’s lips had turned blue.
Authorities stated that Wehmeyer admitted she neglected to take the child to the doctor, citing a migraine as the reason for not doing so on February 27. Prosecutors accuse her of effectively abandoning the baby for 43 hours.
Wehmeyer has been charged with abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death and is currently detained in Scott County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond. The initial court appearance for Wehmeyer is scheduled for March 6, where she will face these serious allegations.