Autistic Child Suffocated to Death After Daycare Staff Held Him Down to 'Force Him to Sleep,' Lawsuit Claims

A Missouri daycare is under investigation after a lawsuit claimed staff members suffocated a nonverbal autistic toddler by using their bodies to force him to nap—leading to his death on May 16.

Conrad David Wade Ashcraft, 3, died while in the care of Poppy's Playhouse 2, a daycare facility in Park Hills, Missouri, according to First Alert 4. His family described him as a sweet, nonverbal child with autism.

The incident prompted immediate scrutiny from local and state authorities, particularly after it was revealed the daycare was owned by Spring Gray, who until recently served on the Park Hills City Council.

In a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Conrad's family, the daycare is accused of using forceful restraint methods—allegedly pressing on the child's chest or abdomen with their legs—to compel him to sleep. The suit claims staff failed to notice Conrad had stopped breathing and left him unattended for hours.

Investigations by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the St. Francois County Sheriff's Office are ongoing. An autopsy was scheduled for May 20.

The state suspended the daycare's license effective immediately, and Spring Gray resigned from the city council. The business has temporarily closed, and officials say the suspension could proceed to a formal hearing if appealed within 10 days.