A Missouri toddler died of severe dehydration from starvation, and prosecutors say child neglect led to his death. Alyssa Wehmeyer, 21, allegedly fed her 19-month-old son, Colt Keeney, for the last time nearly 43 hours before she found him unresponsive in his crib. An autopsy revealed the child suffered severe dehydration and had very little food in his stomach. But sadly, that wasn’t the only sign of trauma on his little body.
According to court documents, investigators began questioning Wehmeyer after seeing the results of Colt’s autopsy. Police read the mother her rights and began asking what happened the day Colt died. The mother told investigators she last fed Colt in the early evening on February 26, 2025. Nearly 23 hours later, she changed the toddler’s diaper and put him to bed. Wehmeyer recalled hearing her son cry about 1 p.m. February 28 and held him for about 30 minutes before putting him back to bed.
A short time later, Wehmeyer checked on Colt and noticed the child had blue lips and wasn’t breathing, the court documents note. While examining Colt’s body, investigators reportedly found severe blisters on his buttocks from diaper rash. Wehmeyer did not seek medical attention for her baby and told police she allegedly last changed him 19 hours prior before leaving him in the crib unattended. The last time Colt ate was reportedly more than 36 hours before his death, indicating starvation led to his death. Some reports suggest it was actually more than 43 hours.
Wehmeyer allegedly admitted to police she should have taken her son to the doctor, but she said she had a migraine and took three Excedrin and lay down for a nap, the New York Post reported. Police arrested Wehmeyer and took her to Scott County Jail, where she is being held on a $100,000 bond. She faces a charge of child abuse or child neglect, resulting in death.
