On March 20, 2023, 17-month-old Brailey Stevenson was placed in the care of babysitter Mary Curtis, 30, of Jennings, Missouri. While in Curtis' care, the child fell asleep on the floor. Curtis later transported the unconscious child to another caretaker's home, where police were called. Brailey was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. A toxicology report revealed lethal levels of fentanyl and xylazine in the child's system. The child had appeared normal before being left with Curtis. Curtis was charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and held on $1 million bond. At the time of Brailey's death, Curtis was already out on bond from a prior charge related to the death of her own 17-day-old child from chronic methadone exposure. Authorities also linked Curtis to the drug-related deaths of two additional children — premature twins she gave birth to in 2020 who died at two days old from drug exposure.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Multiple documents describe the child's death as a drug overdose. Document 2 (CBS News) states: "A toxicology report showed Brailey had lethal levels of fentanyl and xylazine in her system." Document 1 (KMOV) refers to it as "the March 2023 overdose death of a friend's 1-year-old."
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Document 3 (KSDK) quotes Curtis stating: "I was not there. She was there with a 3-year-old and 6-year-old. The kids were there by themselves." This is an explicit admission by the caregiver that the 17-month-old child was left unsupervised with only young children present, during which time the child apparently accessed lethal substances.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
While not pertaining to Brailey Stevenson herself, the documents contain explicit references to prenatal substance exposure affecting the caregiver's own children. Document 1 (KMOV) states Curtis' "17-day-old child who died of chronic methadone exposure" and that "both children died when they were two days old due to drug exposure." Document 1 also states: "Prosecutors said Curtis has given birth to eight children, none of are in her custody and most were born with drug exposure."
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Document 1 (KMOV) describes the death as that of "a friend's 1-year-old who she was babysitting." Document 2 (CBS News) states: "A Missouri woman who was caring for a toddler who died with fentanyl and another drug in her system is facing criminal charges." Document 3 (KSDK) states: "Curtis was responsible for watching 17-month-old Brailey Stevenson on March 20." Curtis was functioning as a babysitter at the time of the child's death.
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Document 1 (KMOV) describes the incident as "the overdose death of a friend's 1-year-old who she was babysitting," identifying Curtis as a female friend of the child's parent. Curtis was charged in connection with the death, establishing her involvement.
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Document 2 (CBS News) states that Curtis' mother "said Curtis had drug-exposed twins born five months prematurely, who died soon after they were born in 2020." While this prematurity does not pertain to Brailey Stevenson, it is explicitly mentioned in the case documents as relevant context about the caregiver's history.
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Document 2 (CBS News) states: "Curtis has been investigated by the Missouri Department of Social Services Children's Division several times." Document 3 (KSDK) states Curtis "has been involved in several Children's Division Investigations." While these investigations pertain to Curtis' own children rather than Brailey specifically, they represent a documented history of child protection concerns for the caregiver charged in this death.
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Document 2 (CBS News) states: "St. Louis County prosecutors on Thursday charged her with endangering the welfare of a child in the death of 17-month-old Brailey Stevenson." Document 3 (KSDK) states: "Mary Curtis, 30, was charged with one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child on Thursday. She is being held on a $1 million bond."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 3 (KSDK) states: "Curtis was out on bond from St. Louis City for one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of the child resulting in death when the March 20 incident happened." This is a prior charge predating Brailey's death. Additionally, Document 3 notes: "She also has pending felony cases for resisting arrest and possession of a controlled substance in St. Louis County." Document 2 (CBS News) states that Curtis was "accused of resisting arrest for a felony after police claimed she evaded a traffic stop, crashed a vehicle and fled officers in September 2022."
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Multiple documents describe Curtis' substance use history. Document 2 (CBS News) states: "Curtis' mother, Nadine Richardson, told KTVI-TV that the earlier charge was filed after Curtis' 17-day-old child died in 2021. Richardson said Curtis was using methadone to treat a heroin addiction at the time." Document 3 (KSDK) quotes Curtis: "I had gotten off of fentanyl after my twins passed away. I was on methadone when my 17-day-old baby died." Document 3 also notes Curtis had "pending felony cases for... possession of a controlled substance."
Notable Details
Several systemic and legal issues are notable. First, Curtis was already out on bond for a prior child's death when Brailey died, raising questions about the bond system's adequacy. Document 1 (KMOV) states: "At the time Curtis was out on bond, accused of killing her own child." Second, despite being connected to four child deaths, Curtis was later granted bond again because she was pregnant; Document 1 notes Judge Hilton initially "denied bond, telling Curtis he believed her unborn baby would be safest with her behind bars" but later reversed course. Third, Document 1 reports: "Prosecutors said Curtis has given birth to eight children, none of are in her custody and most were born with drug exposure." Fourth, despite multiple Children's Division investigations, Curtis continued to have unsupervised access to children. The court statement in Document 3 highlights the legal framework constraining judges: "detention without bond is only appropriate where a court makes a finding by clear and convincing evidence that there is no less restrictive alternative to detention."
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