A heartbreaking tragedy in Missouri has led to murder charges against a daycare worker after a nonverbal 3-year-old boy with autism was found dead following hours of alleged improper restraint during nap time.

On May 16, 2025, at Poppy’s Playhouse in Park Hills, Missouri, Tiffany Hedrick reportedly removed Conrad Ashcraft from the nap room because he was crying and whining. According to authorities, Hedrick laid the boy on his back in the hallway and tucked the sides of his blanket tightly under his body, trapping his arms at his sides.

When Conrad continued to wiggle, Hedrick allegedly flipped him onto his stomach, placed a heavy 18.2-pound weighted blanket over his body and partially over his face, and then used her legs to hold him down on his back.

After believing he had fallen asleep, Hedrick and other staff members allegedly failed to check on him for the next four to five hours.

When Conrad’s mother arrived later that day to pick him up, she discovered her son lying cold, rigid, and discolored on the hallway floor. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The official cause of death was asphyxiation.

A grand jury has since indicted Hedrick on charges of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and child abuse resulting in death.

Conrad, who was described as a joyful little boy who loved swimming, Toy Story, pizza, and the movie Cars, had only been attending the daycare for a few weeks.

The case has sparked outrage and prompted action from Missouri lawmakers. Legislators are now pushing “Conrad’s Law,” a proposed bill aimed at tightening regulations on the use of weighted blankets in daycares and requiring mandatory staff training on safe restraint and supervision practices.

The incident has raised serious questions about supervision standards and safety protocols at the facility.