KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Following the tragic death of a 3-year-old boy who fell from an eighth-story apartment window in Independence on Monday, conversations around in-home safety have are ongoing.
Moses Lee Bass and Destiny Leeann Randle have been charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, a class A felony.
The unidentified boy resided at Independence Towers, where residents say they've been without air conditioning all summer, and that many maintenance requests go unanswered.
Randle alleges the window the boy fell from didn't properly lock, and that she submitted multiple requests to the apartment to fix the window, according to court documents.
Other Independence Towers residents also say their windows don't lock.
"Not every window came with the little metal lock pieces on them," Raylee Emberton, a resident of Independence Towers' sixth floor, said.
Charlie's House, a nonprofit in Kansas City, Missouri, works to raise awareness and educate caregivers about how to safety proof their homes.
The nonprofit started approximately 17 years ago, when 2-year-old Charlie Horn died after his dresser fell on top of him.
“There are many simple things you can do around your home to mitigate the risk for window falls," said Bob Renton, with Charlie's House.
Charlie's House serves nine counties.
Renton says they see between three and five window falls involving children a year.
"It happens in apartments and homes," he said. "I've seen it in both residential and apartment dwellings."
Renton's tips around window safety include: keeping windows locked when not in use, moving furniture away from windows, and opening windows from the top instead of the bottom if possible.
He also says there are affordable window-locking options that are easy to install, such as window restrictors.
KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Cass, Miami, Franklin and Douglas counties with an emphasis on Lawrence. If you have a question about your community or a story idea, send Lily a tip.
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