KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A woman who was watching a 3-year-old child for a neighbor pleaded guilty Wednesday in Leavenworth County District Court to involuntary manslaughter in the fentanyl-related death of the child in March 2025.
Tara Ann Huerta, 40, also pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated endangering a child.
E’lah Damone Brown Jr., or EJ, died while in the care of Huerta in an apartment at the Woodland Village Apartment Complex.
“Fentanyl can be fatal," Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said. "Even a small amount can kill, especially a child. Those entrusted with a child’s care have the utmost responsibility to protect them. When that responsibility is ignored, the consequences can be devastating.”
Huerta is scheduled to be sentenced at 1 p.m. on March 27, 2026, in Leavenworth County District Court.
Her boyfriend, Kenneth Hedgecock, also faces charges in the child's death. Hedgecock is scheduled for a trial next month in Leavenworth County Court.
KSHB 41 News Leavenworth reporter Rachel Henderson spoke to EJ's mother after an initial court hearing for Huerta last year.
Briana Rene Michelle Davis told Henderson that she had known Huerta since she moved to Leavenworth a few years ago, and her son was often excited to see Huerta.
“This is something I just didn’t see coming,” Davis said. “I never thought my baby would not make it home from her.”
Davis pleaded no contest in January 2026 and was found guilty of abandonment of a child, aggravated battery, and endangering a child. Court records showed Davis left the child in the care of Huerta, knowing the child could be harmed.
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