ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY, Mo. (Court TV) — A day care director in Missouri has been charged with the murder of a three-year-old child.
Tiffany Hedrick, 40, was indicted by a St. Francois County grand jury on charges of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death on Aug. 14.
This Aug. 14, 2025, booking photo provided by the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office shows Tiffany Hedrick. (St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office)
An indictment obtained by Court TV accuses Hedrick of suffocating Conrad Ashcraft with a weighted blanket while immobilizing his arms at Poppy’s Playhouse 2 in Park Hills on May 16. Authorities say the child was killed by asphyxiation.
Hedrick allegedly killed the child while attempting “to force him to sleep,” according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Ashcraft’s mother. The lawsuit claims Hedrick “failed to recognize” Ashcraft was “killed and remained lying on the floor of the (facility) for hours without any effort to determine his well-being.”
A statement from the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education obtained by KKTV noted Ashcraft’s mother found him deceased four hours later.
Days after the incident, the City of Park Hills released a statement saying it “referred the matter of the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department” since the day care is owned by a member of the Park Hills City Council. The councilmember, identified as Spring Gray, resigned on May 20.
Ashcraft’s aunt, Lacey Hardie, told KSDK that her nephew was nonverbal with autism. An obituary said Ashcraft “loved swimming, Toy Story, Ms. Rachel, Cocomelon, and the movie Cars. He also loved pizza and enjoyed spending time with his parents and his family.”
Hedrick is due back in court on Aug. 22. She entered a not guilty plea on Aug. 15, according to court records.
