June 13, 2019

A Kansas City man was sentenced today to 21 years in a Missouri prison after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges related to causing the death of 16-month-old Messiah Henderson, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced today.

Nathaniel Littlefield pleaded guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter and two counts of Child Endangerment related to the death of Henderson. A judge sentenced Littlefield to 7 years on each count and ran them consecutively for a total of 21 years.

According to court records, the child was taken to a hospital late on May 29, 2016 after the child's mother returned from work and found her child unresponsive. He had been in Littlefield's care. The child died on June 1, 2016.  At Children's Mercy Hospital, physicians determined the child was suffering from non-accidental trauma, consistent with child abuse. The child suffered from severe head trauma and a lacerated liver. 

For more information, contact:

Michael Mansur

Director of Communication

Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office

Jean Peters Baker, Prosecutor

Work   : (816) 881-3812

Mobile: (816) 674-3954

mmansur@jacksongov.org

http://jacksoncountyprosecutor.com

*Charges are only accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until the defendant is either found guilty or has pleaded.