Man sentenced to 57 years in malnutrition death of 2-year-old

A northeast Kansas man convicted in the malnutrition death of his 2-year-old daughter was sentenced Friday to nearly 57 years in prison.

Jeffery “James” Exon, of Topeka, was convicted in April of four crimes related to the death of his daughter Aurora, including aggravated child endangerment and first-degree murder in the commission of a felony.

Officials said Aurora had died of malnutrition, which was due to the negligence of her father, local television WIBW reported.

On Friday, District Judge Jessica Heinen sentenced him to the maximum term of 56 years and 11 months in prison, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal.

The investigation into Exon began in early January 2021, when he called 911 to report that the 2-year-old had stopped breathing. He also told the dispatcher the girl had been “starving herself.”

When officials arrived at the scene, they found the girl unresponsive and cold to the touch. It appeared she had been dead for several days, Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay said.

Authorities also found five empty liquor bottles in Exon’s room.

Investigators later determined Exon would often neglect Aurora and her older brother, Theodore “Teddy” Exon, because of his addiction.

At the time, Exon would be intoxicated and “[pass] out in his bed for days on end,” Shawnee County Deputy District Attorney Bethany Lee told jurors at his trial.

Teddy, who was 4 at the time of his sister’s death, testified at the trial, saying his father would lock both children in their rooms for days — without any food — while he “slept.”

The last time his sister was seen alive was Dec. 26, 2020, Kagay said.