On August 25, 2015, a tragic incident occurred in St. Louis County, Missouri, resulting in the death of 21-month-old Carter Epps. The male toddler was at a residence located in the 7700 block of Utica Drive in Hanley Hills when he discovered a loaded handgun that had been left unsecured. Around 1:00 p.m., the child accidentally discharged the weapon, sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his torso.
Family members, specifically the child's mother, immediately rushed him to SSM
Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond Heights for emergency medical attention. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, Carter Epps was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival. The St. Louis County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting, cordoning off the home and interviewing witnesses to determine how the toddler gained access to the firearm.
Investigators determined that the boy’s father, 26-year-old Corey Epps, had left the loaded gun in an area accessible to the child. Following the shooting, authorities discovered that the father had tampered with the scene by removing the shell casing before police arrived. This attempt to alter physical evidence complicated the initial stages of the inquiry, but detectives were eventually able to piece together the sequence of events leading to the toddler's death.
Corey Epps was subsequently arrested and charged by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. He faced felony charges for endangering the welfare of a child and tampering with physical evidence. In February 2016, the father pleaded guilty to the charges related to his son's death, admitting to his role in leaving the weapon accessible and his subsequent actions to hide evidence.
