A woman is facing charges after her 8-year-old son was found dead on June 13.
Aushena Warren has been charged with abandoning a corpse.
On June 13, Kansas City police officers responded to a home in the 5800 block of North London Ave. on a reported dead body. When officers arrived they found the victim, who family identified to 41 Action News as 8-year-old Audrick Warren. EMS personnel declared Audrick dead at the scene.
A witness said he left the residence for work the morning of June 13. According to court documents, he said Audrick and his brother were asleep when he left, and the only other person in the house was Warren.
At 11:30 a.m. that day, the witness was contacted by someone in the home who said Warren wasn’t home. He returned home and found Audrick unresponsive in a bathtub full of water. The witness put Audrick in a bedroom and called 911.
Court documents say the witness found a note apparently written by Warren saying how the financial pressures the family was under was her fault and she didn’t think they made enough money. She feared the kids would be taken by the state and would have to be given up for adoption, due to finances.
On June 13 at 9:42 a.m., court documents say Warren jumped from the Christopher “Kit” Bond Bridge in what appeared to be a suicide attempt. She survived the fall and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Before learning of the homicide, detectives talked with Warren about jumping off the bridge. She told police she is bi-polar and hasn’t been taking her medication, according to court documents. When police asked her where her children were, she said they were at home.
Police spoke with another witness who said he was home with Warren that day. The witness said he heard Warren running water into the bathtub for a long time. When he went into the bathroom he saw Audrick lying “asleep” in the bathtub full of water.
Court documents say the witness told police he heard a "head bump” three times. He couldn’t be clear as to when the “head bump” occurred during the morning’s events.
On June 14, the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy on Audrick. The medical examiner’s office found a contusion on the top of Audrick’s skull.
The office determined his cause of death was drowning.
According to court documents, Warren made no 911 call or attempt to contact law enforcement or medical personnel in regard to Audrick’s drowning.
Warren’s bond is $25,000, cash only. She remained in custody at the Clay County jail as of Friday afternoon. Prosecutors did not indicate if further charges were possible.
Audrick was a student at Southeast Elementary School and was known as a smart and athletic child.
On Friday, Audrick’s 8-year-old friend, Brody Gaudet, described what the boy was like in school.
“In math, he'd always be one of the first ones done,” Brody explained. “He loved the Golden State Warriors. He wanted to be drafted to that team."
Brody said Audrick’s attitude stood out the most and would be one of the things he remembered about the 8-year-old.
“He would never give up. He was like a leader to other people,” Brody said. “I'm going to remember him having good sportsmanship and always being into everything that he played."
With the crime confusing even adults, Brody’s father said he had been talking to his son about the tragedy and the importance of remembering his best friend.
“I encourage him to talk about him (Audrick) as much as he wants and as much as he can because it's one way to remember the boy,” explained Marc Gaudet. “He (Audrick) seemed like a happy-go-lucky, smart, enthusiastic child."
While friends of Audrick grappled with the tragedy, a family acquaintance told 41 Action News that Friday’s developments brought shock to her memories of Audrick’s mother.
“Aushena was just quiet,” explained Nancy Ash, who lives in Hannibal. “She didn't say too much. She was a beautiful girl.”
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