Mom lies about how 2-year-old was shot in the leg, then hides gun, Missouri cops say
Hospital staff grew suspicious when a 2-year-old showed up with a gunshot wound to their calf, Missouri officials said.
The toddler’s mother said her child had been shot in a drive-by shooting in St. Louis, but police said surveillance footage from the area didn’t match her story, according to a criminal complaint filed on March 7.
Once her initial story was refuted, the mother shared what really happened to her toddler, police said.
Now, the mother and Rodrick Miller are charged with endangering the welfare of a child, armed criminal action and tampering with evidence, according to court records. Miller was additionally charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.
Their attorney information was not listed. McClatchy News is not naming the mother to protect the child’s identity.
The woman and Miller were cleaning a gun and left it sitting on the couch, according to court documents. The mother went into another room to get a snack when she heard a gunshot, the complaint said.
She found the toddler with a wound in their leg.
The mother and Miller took the 2-year-old to the hospital but first stopped to hide the gun in the woods, according to court documents.
In the home, officers found what they believed to be narcotics on the couch, the complaint said.
Miller is being held on a $250,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 9. The mother has a warrant out for her arrest but is not in custody as of March 10.
This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Mom lies about how 2-year-old was shot in the leg, then hides gun, Missouri cops say."
