Mom of Leavenworth tot found dead in neighbor's apartment convicted of child endangerment
A Leavenworth woman was found guilty in Leavenworth County court Wednesday of several charges relating to the death of her toddler last March.
Briana Davis, 30, pleaded no contest Wednesday to one count each of child abandonment, aggravated battery and endangering a child, according to a news release from Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson. The court found her guilty of all three counts.
The charges stem from the death of her 3-year-old son, E-lah Brown Jr., known as EJ, at a Leavenworth apartment complex last March.
Leavenworth police were called to the Woodland Village Apartments around 4:30 a.m. on March 26, 2025, for a medical call, Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens previously said.
First responders attempted life-saving measures on EJ, but were unsuccessful. An autopsy showed that EJ had died from fentanyl poisoning.
At least one other child has died at the apartment complex in the last two years, according to police call reports obtained by The Star. In the last two years, at least 20 calls have been made to the complex, ranging from drug possession to assault to shootings.
Tara Huerta and Kenneth Hedgecock were initially arrested in connection to EJ’s death.
Huerta and Hedgecock have both been charged with first-degree murder, possession of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Davis previously told The Star she left EJ with Huerta and Hedgecock on March 26 after he fell asleep while she received a face tattoo.
She said she called Huerta and Hedgecock around 10 p.m. on March 25, and Hedgecock told her EJ was sleeping. Davis was next contacted around 4 a.m. the next day, when she learned her son wasn’t breathing.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation laboratory later confirmed fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine were present in the apartment, Kitchens said.
Huerta was arrested on Aug. 15, 2025, according to the Leavenworth County Jail’s inmate listing. Hedgecock was arrested on Aug. 26, 2025, and Davis was arrested on Sept. 4, 2025.
According to the news release, court records show that “Davis left her child in the care of another person while knowing the child could be harmed.”
Davis is being held in the Leavenworth County Jail on a $10,000 bond, according to court documents. She is set to appear for a sentencing hearing March 11.
EJ, who had turned 3 just a little over two months before his death, was remembered as an affectionate child who loved Spider-Man and giving hugs, Davis previously told The Star.
“He was the kid that came and checked on me the most,” Davis said. “He was the one that came and messed with me the most. He didn’t leave my side.”
The Star’s PJ Green contributed reporting.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 9:44 PM.
