Meghan McKeon sentenced to 22 years in death of her three-year-old son who was left alone for three
A Colorado mother pleaded guilty Wednesday in the death of her 3-year-old son whom she left alone for three days in a cabin without running water.
Meghan McKeon, 25, from Steamboat Springs, was sentenced to 22 years in prison after entering a guilty plea to one count of fatal child abuse.
Prosecutors agreed to drop a second child abuse charge in as part of the plea agreement.
Bad choices: Meghan McKeon (left), 25, has pleaded guilty to fatal child abuse in connection to the death of her 3-year-old son, Austin Davis (right), whom she left alone for three days in March
Terrible death: An autopsy revealed that the toddler died from dehydration after spending three days in a cabin without running water
Austin Davis died March 27 after McKeon returned to the cabin and found him unresponsive. An autopsy revealed that the neglected toddler succumbed to dehydration.
Police have said they believe Miss McKeon stayed at her boyfriend's house and went to her job while Austin was without supervision. .
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Share 134 sharesThe 25-year-old single mother said in court she had been ‘spending time with a bottle’ chasing unattainable dreams. She said she wasn't a monster and didn't intentionally hurt her son.
She said she wanted to start an organization that would help women.
‘I know nothing I say or do will bring my little boy back, but I have hope for a brighter future,’ she said.
Personal demons: The 25-year-old Ms McKeon said in court she had been ‘spending time with a bottle’ chasing unattainable dreams
Tragic sight: McKeon found her son not breathing and lying face up with his eyes open and fixed on the ceiling
According to her arrest affidavit cited by Steamboat Today, Meghan McKeon lied to police that she had left her son with a baby sitter at 1.45pm on March 26 to go to work, and she returned home the following day after spending the night at her boyfriend's house.
She later admitted that her son had been left without supervision, and that she had been doing it for at least a month while she was at work at a local supermarket.
When the woman arrived home on March 27, she found little Austin unresponsive and not breathing, lying on his back with his eyes open and staring at the ceiling.
McKeon called relatives and boarded a bus to take her son to Yampa Valley Medical Center, but doctors there were unable to save Austin.
When detectives searched McKeon's cabin, they found the residence covered with human feces and half-eaten food. There were also several razors strewn about within easy reach of the toddler.
Austin's father, Tyler Davis, was in jail on a harassment conviction when the child died. In a video feed from the jail Wednesday, he told McKeon he hoped she was not scarred for life.
‘Good luck with everything,’ he said.
'Selfish': Charity O'Konski, Austin's grandmother, said McKeon took an innocent child's life by putting her own needs first
Charity O'Konski, Davis' mother and Austin's grandmother, said McKeon took an innocent child's life by putting her own needs first.
‘I'm still trying to understand why you did this,’ she said. ‘There is no justice because we can't have Austin back.’
District Judge Shelley Hill called McKeon's actions outrageous.
‘The result that happened was inevitable, and you knew it was when you were doing it,’ Hill said.
McKeon will get credit for the 223 days she has been in jail.
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