Kansas City man charged after infant son dies of fentanyl, meth poisoning: court documents
A Kansas City man was charged Monday after his 16-month-old son died of fentanyl and methamphetamine poisoning in January.
Terry W. Canady, 33, is charged with first-degree endangerment of the welfare of a child, as well as abuse or neglect of a child and two counts of possession of a controlled substance. Canady’s son, referenced in court documents as T.P., was found dead at Canady’s home on Jan. 28.
Kansas City police responded to the home around 3:09 a.m., according to court documents. T.P. was taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:46 a.m.
A witness told police that Canady returned to the house with his young son a couple hours prior to the alleged poisoning, according to court documents. The witness went back to sleep and was awoken by Canady and his girlfriend panicking that T.P. wasn’t breathing. Canady allegedly told her that the child “could have grabbed something out of (his) pocket,”court documents read.
Canady told another witness that he thought T.P. had ingested fentanyl from his personal stash, which he kept in the corner of his bedroom, according to court documents. Canady also allegedly told the witness that he and his girlfriend had attempted to revive the child with overdose reversal drug naloxone, or Narcan, before calling 911.
While searching the home, detectives found a clear plastic bag with meth residue in a bedroom, as well as several plastic bags with fentanyl residue in trash cans outside the home. An autopsy found traces of both drugs in the child’s system, according to court documents.
Another witness told police that Canady sells both fentanyl and methamphetamines and generally has both drugs in his possession, according to court documents.
In a statement issued Monday, Jackson County prosecutor Melesa Johnson said that the charges against Canady reflect a rise in fentanyl-related child deaths in Jackson County.
In 2022, 43 children died of fentanyl poisoning in Missouri, 20 of whom were under the age of 5. Dr. Terra Frazier, the chair of Missouri’s Child Fatality Review Panel, previously told The Star that the number of young children dying from fentanyl has been “skyrocketing since about 2020.”
“We’re seeing too many of our children’s lives cut short due to negligence and substance misuse in our community,” Johnson said Monday. “While our office will prosecute each of these cases to the fullest extent of the law, we also recognize and understand the complexities of addiction.”
Canady was previously convicted of first-degree robbery, possession of a controlled substance and resisting or fleeing arrest, according to court records.
Canady is being held by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. He is not currently eligible for bond, and his first court date has not yet been set.
This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 6:21 PM.
