KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Leavenworth woman pleaded guilty Friday in the death of her baby son.
Catherine Smith, 32, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, aggravated child endangerment and obstruction of law enforcement.
Police were sent to Smith's house on Nov. 29, 2018, and found the baby not breathing. The baby died a few minutes later at a hospital.
The child had a temperature of 105 degrees, and a coroner said the baby likely died of hyperthermia, according to a news release from the Leavenworth County District Attorney's Office.
Police found the child in an upstairs room that had a temperature of nearly 100 degrees, according to the news release.
A baby cannot be left in a hot location for long before illness and death occur.
Smith lied to investigators about how long it had been since she checked on the child.
"Every child should be a parent's number one priority,'' Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said in the news release. "This death should never have occurred.
Smith will be sentenced next month.
