A Missouri couple is accused of nearly starving their 1-year-old son to death, reportedly failing to feed the special-needs child despite having plenty of food at home, with the father blaming his failings on smoking pot and “falling asleep.” Braxton Blevins and Emily Katz were arrested earlier this week and charged with one act of child abuse and one count of child endangerment, according to court records.
According to a probable cause affidavit, on March 1, 2025, officers from the Carthage Police Department responded to a complaint from Children’s Mercy Hospital about a 1-year-old male juvenile who had been admitted with “severe malnutrition, starvation, recurrent infections, and failure to thrive.”
Medical workers informed authorities that the youngster had been hospitalized several times in his short life for identical issues.
Despite the couple’s claims that Blevins was giving sufficient care for their son at home and following the prescribed feeding regimen, authorities said they discovered between 10 and 20 unused bags of the victim’s “Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN)” kept in the family refrigerator. One bag of TPN, required daily, provides about 80% of the child’s total daily calorie requirements.
The bags were administered via a central line feeding tube.
While hospital staff informed authorities that both parents had completed the medical training required to care for their son’s nutritional needs, they also stated that each subsequent time the victim was hospitalized, neither parent was “consistently unable to explain the home care provided or account for the juvenile’s weight loss and deteriorating condition.”
The hospital’s safety, care, and nurturing team determined that there was enough evidence that the victim was frequently missing feedings and that his recurrent hospitalizations were “the result of Blevins’ neglect.”
Blevins allegedly revealed to investigators that he was aware that his son had “critical medical needs” that included the daily feeding bag. He reportedly acknowledged to “missing multiple feedings, particularly during the final month of care, due to marijuana use and falling asleep,” according to the affidavit.
Katz told authorities that she struggled to keep their home clean and “acknowledged improper care” of the victim, his central line, and feeding tube.
When informed of the charges against her, Katz “offered no reasonable explanation for the failures in care and terminated the interview,” according to police.
Both parents were arrested and freed after posting bond, on the condition that they had no contact with minors under the age of 18. According to court documents, they are expected to be arraigned on May 28.