Father charged with child endangerment related to infant’s death pleads not guilty

MOREHOUSE, Mo. — A Morehouse man facing child endangerment charges following the death of his infant child pleaded not guilty Thursday, Aug. 29 in New Madrid County.

Zackery Scott Murphy is charged with the following felonies: one count of first degree endangering the welfare of a child leading to the death of a child; one county of manufacturing a controlled substance; and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child-first degree by creating substantial risk, according to online records.

Appearing in custody of the New Madrid County Sheriff’s Department via video, Murphy was arraigned and entered a plea of not guilty, according to online court records. He is scheduled for a return to court at 9 a.m. Sept. 5 before Judge Brandon M. Sanchez.

According New Madrid County Sheriff Ronnie Adams, at 5:53 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25 deputies were dispatched to Spruce Street in Morehouse in reference to a report of a 3 month old not breathing. Deputies, along with EMS and Rescue, responded to the scene to find the infant deceased. An investigation was conducted at the scene and continues at this time, the interim sheriff said.

“We can report at this time that the autopsy of the infant concluded that there was no trauma leading to the death,” Adams said in a news release Tuesday, Aug. 26.

However, charges were filed and an arrest warrant was issued for the child’s father who was identifed as Murphy, the sheriff said.

According to the redacted probable cause statement by Detective Sgt. Zach Albright, who is an investigator with the New Madrid County Sheriff’s Department, the medical examiner who conducted the autopsy in Farmington, Misosuri, said he believed the child died of positional asphyxiation.

According to the probable cause statement, during his interview with investigators, Murphy said about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, he went to a store and bought Tylenol and colic medicine. At around noon, Murphay said he gave the baby a dosage of .5 mL of infant Tylenol and laid her face down in the bassinet.

Murphy said they both fell asleep for a couple of hours and when he woke up, the baby was still asleep in the bassinet, and he moved her to the swing. He said he believed she was still asleep. However, as the interview went on, Murphy was more unsure if the baby was asleep or dead at that time, the probable cause statement said. After moving her to the swing, court documents state, he fell back asleep on the couch and woke up to the mother of the child yelling at him.

During the course of the investigation, the New Madrid County sheriff said deputies seized a marijuana-grow operation including 56 plants in various stages of growth inside the residence. At the time of call, Murphy had fled the scene but was located Tuesday and remained in custody. Bond is set at $50,000.

“At this time the investigation continues,” Adams said in a news release issued Tuesday. “The New Madrid County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the New Madrid County Coroner’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol and Sikeston Department of Public Safety for their assistance.”