Infant’s death in Grandview sparks investigation

Ashley Johnson said she struggles to find the right words to explain to her four children that their 3-month-old brother isn’t coming home.

Johnson said she and her boyfriend decided Thursday to remove their son, Stephon McCoy, from life support after he suffered severe brain damage, allegedly during an overnight visit with a baby sitter.

“It is hard to wrap my mind around it all and that he’s never coming back,” Johnson said Tuesday.

Grandview police investigated the case but have not released details of what they found. They did not respond to phone calls Tuesday.

Investigators have submitted their case file to the Jackson County prosecutor’s office, and it will take prosecutors several days to review it, said spokesman Mike Mansur.

Johnson said a family friend offered Jan. 14 to baby-sit the child for several days to give the boy’s father a break from caregiving while Johnson was away. At some point, the sitter reported that Stephon had a fever and took him a hospital.

Family members were summoned to the hospital, where they learned Stephon suffered head trauma, organ damage and internal bleeding, Johnson said.

Family members, friends and the AdHoc Group Against Crime held a prayer vigil for Stephon last Saturday. His funeral will be next Saturday.

“He was full of smiles and he was such a good kid,” said his great-grandmother Lida Johnson. “We are all just devastated.”