Kansas Father Sentenced After 2-Year-Old Daughter Died Because He Was ‘Intoxicated and Passed Out in His Bed for Days on End’
Aug. 2 2023, Published 9:06 a.m. ET
A Kansas father was sentenced to almost 57 years in prison for the 2021 death of his 2-year-old daughter, according to authorities.
Around 10 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2021, police responded to a home in Topeka after receiving a call about an unresponsive child, as Front Page Detectives previously reported.
Once at the scene, officers found Jeffrey Exon’s 2-year-old daughter, Aurora, “unresponsive, cold to the touch, with an appearance that she had been dead for several days,” officials said.
Aurora was last seen alive on Dec. 26, 2020, authorities said.
She died from malnutrition, but when Exon, 47, called 911 on Jan. 5, he reportedly said his daughter was “starving herself,” police said.
During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Bethany Lee said Exon was “intoxicated and passed out in his bed for days on end,” which led to Aurora’s death, Front Page Detectives reported.
- An MIT Researcher Killed a Yale Grad Student. He Ran from Police for Months But Now Will Spend Years Behind Bars.
- Oklahoma Man Accused of Killing 17-Year-Old Boy Reported Missing Early Last Year: Police
- FPD Top News of the Week: Man to Be Castrated for Impregnating Teen Girl; Mom Accused of Killing 6-Week-Old Twins; and More
Aurora’s brother also spoke at the trial, saying their father kept them in their room for days on end and didn’t give them anything to eat because he was sleeping, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported.
Police searched the home during the investigation and found multiple empty alcohol bottles in Exon’s room, officials said.
Court documents said Aurora “appeared to be in rigor mortis, stiffening of muscles which usually sets in 12 hours after death.”
Never miss a story — sign up for the Front Page Detectives newsletter. Be on the scene the moment news breaks.
At the preliminary hearing, several people, including Exon’s brother, testified saying Exon had a drinking problem and he would “forget” to feed his children and care for them.
In April, Exon was convicted of first-degree murder in the commission of a felony, aggravated child endangerment, reckless but unintentional second-degree murder and failure by a parent to report the death of a child in connection.
On July 28, a judge sentenced Exon to 56 years and 11 months, officials said.
Become a Front Page Detective
Sign up to receive breaking
Front Page Detectives
news and exclusive investigations.