On August 25, 2015, 21-month-old Carter Epps died after a loaded handgun left unsecured in a Hanley Hills home in St. Louis County was accidentally discharged. The toddler sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his torso and was taken to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond Heights, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Investigators found that Carter’s father, 26-year-old Corey Epps, had left the loaded gun where the child could reach it and had removed the shell casing from the scene before police arrived. The St. Louis County Police Crimes Against Persons Unit interviewed witnesses, cordoned off the home and pursued the case. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Corey Epps with felony endangering the welfare of a child and tampering with physical evidence; he later pleaded guilty to those charges.

If anyone knew Carter or has information about the circumstances that led to this death, please share what you know.