Mary Ann Curtis: Missouri woman out on bond arrested again after toddler she babysat died in her care with lethal amount of narcotics in her system
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ST LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI: Mary Ann Curtis, a 30-year-old woman who was out on bond in connection with the death of her newborn in 2021, has been arrested again after a toddler she was babysitting died with lethal amounts of narcotics in her system. Curtis has been charged with felony first-degree endangering the welfare of a child in the death of 17-month-old Brailey Stevenson.
The child reportedly fell asleep on the floor and lost consciousness while she was in the care of Curtis. Curtis later brought Stevenson to the home of another caretaker who called 911 out of concern.
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Toxicology found fatal amounts of fentanyl and xylazine in her system
Stevenson was rushed to a local hospital but was pronounced brought dead. Toxicology analysis showed that the toddler had fatal amounts of fentanyl and xylazine in her system at the time of her death. At the time of her latest arrest, Curtis was reportedly out on bond in connection with the 2021 death of her 17-day-old son, Tre’mon, who died of a methadone overdose, reported Law & Crime.
Curtis’ mother, Nadine Richardson, told KMOV, her daughter was treating a heroin addiction by using methadone when Tre’mon died. Hospital staff reportedly told her it was okay to breastfeed while using the drug. Curtis was charged with second-degree child endangerment in Tre’mon’s death as well as possession of a controlled substance — less than 35 grams of marijuana/synthetic cannabinoid and interference with custody.
Curtis was also under investigation after she gave birth to twins who had been exposed to drugs during pregnancy and were born five months early. The twins reportedly weighed less than one pound and only survived for about one minute. Curtis did not face charges in the deaths of the twins.
'I would not intentionally hurt her'
In an interview with a news station, Curtis denied having anything to do with Stevenson’s death. “That 17-month-old was like my own child. I would not intentionally hurt her. I immediately called her mom when it happened. I don’t know what this baby got her hands on,” she reportedly told the station. “I was not there. She was there with a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old. The children were there by themselves. What I know is I wasn’t using fentanyl. Yeah, I had a history, but I wasn’t using fentanyl.”
Curtis is being held at the St Louis County Jail on a $1 million cash-only bond and is scheduled to appear before Judge Jeffrey P Medler on April 25 for her preliminary hearing over Stevenson’s death.