KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri, police are looking for a woman charged with endangering a child after her toddler son ingested illegal, life-threatening drugs at least twice.
Officers were sent on Jan. 2, 2025, to the 3900 block of East Linwood Boulevard on a call involving McCoy, her son and paramedics.
McCoy told officers she and her son were walking to a store to buy milk when she saw her son with a burned straw and an unknown residue in his hand, according to a court document.
She said she never saw the straw in his mouth, but suspected there was drug residue either on the straw or in the residue on the child's hand.
The child became unresponsive when McCoy was preparing a bath for him.
The officers rode in the ambulance with McCoy, the child and paramedics, according to the court document.
The paramedics told the officers there was a burnt straw and a burnt piece of tinfoil where McCoy had been sitting in the ambulance.
While at the hospital, the child was taken into protective custody. Medical staff told officers the child had been at the hospital before with methamphetamine in his system.
McCoy was described in the court document as acting erratically and having trouble maintaining her train of thought while at the hospital.
Detectives from the police department looked over medical records from the hospital on Jan. 24. The report showed the child tested positive for fentanyl.
In addition, medical records revealed the child went to the hospital in March 2024 for ingestion of cocaine, methamphetamines and fentanyl, according to the court document.
That incident also prompted officers to take the child into protective custody when McCoy allegedly became upset and tried to unhook the child from medical devices and take him from the hospital.
Detectives visited McCoy's residence on April 25, 2025, and found McCoy's sister there.
McCoy was called and an interview with detectives was arranged.
She allegedly asked several times while talking with detectives if she would be arrested.
Anyone with information about Cerria McCoy should call 911 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
