Kansas Father’s 2-Year-Old Daughter Died Because He Was ‘Passed Out In His Bed For Days On End’: Prosecutor

A father in Kansas was found guilty of murder in connection with the malnutrition death of his 2-year-old daughter, officials said.

Jeffrey J. “James” Exon will be sentenced in the summer after he was convicted on April 10 of multiple charges, including aggravated child endangerment, first-degree murder in the commission of a felony, reckless but unintentional second-degree murder, and failure by a parent to report the death of a child, the Associated Press reported.

On Jan. 5, 2021, Exon phoned police, and officers responding to his home in Topeka found the toddler, Aurora, dead.

According to Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay, investigators discovered five empty liquor bottles in Exon’s bedroom.

“During the trial, Exon's 6-year-old son, who was 4 at the time of his sister's death, testified that his dad locked them in their rooms for several days without food while he ‘slept,’” Kagay said.

Shawnee County Deputy District Attorney Bethany Lee told jurors Exon was “intoxicated and passed out in his bed for days on end,” The Topeka Capital Journal reported.

Kagay said Exon battled addiction issues and failed to care for his children when he drank.

Exon reportedly had custody of the children because their mother was unable to care for the siblings due to issues with her living conditions.