Three-year-old boy dies after being left alone overnight by mom for the TWENTIETH time - and she thought it was OK because he had 'food, juice and a movie playing'

Megan McKeon, 24, has been charged with child abuse after leaving her son, Austin Davis, home alone for 20 hours



She returned home to find him lying face up with his eyes open, but he showed no signs of life

She told detectives she had left him home alone on a regular basis and had done it about 20 times before

A doctor who tried to save Austin’s life was concerned the boy possibly had ingested prescription medication or other substances

The boy’s father, Tyler Davis, 22, was in prison at the time of Austin's death after he was arrested for not registering as a sex offender

A young mom has been charged with child abuse after she left her young son home alone while she went to work and then didn't return until the next day.



When Megan McKeon returned to her home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 20 hours later she found her young son, Austin Davis, lying face up with his eyes open. He was immobile and showed no signs of life.

Investigators say McKeon's home, described as a cabin at a local campground, was in chaos, with human waste and partially eaten food tossed around.

Scroll down for video

Megan McKeon, 24, has been charged with child abuse resulting in death after leaving her son, Austin Davis, home alone in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, for 20 years and then returning to find him dead

Investigators say McKeon's home, described as a cabin at a local campground, was in chaos, with human waste and partially eaten food tossed around

McKeon, 24, tried to plead guilty to three misdemeanor counts in court on Thursday, but District Attorney dropped those and instead charged her with child abuse resulting in death, a felony who carries a much longer sentence.



According to police, McKeon left to go to work at a local supermarket on Wednesday, March 26 and didn’t return until Thursday morning, March 27.

McKeon told detectives she had left food, juice and a movie playing for her son. She also told detectives she had left him home alone on a regular basis, about 20 times before.

After her shift, McKeon reportedly spent the night at the home of an unnamed boyfriend before heading home the next morning, reports Denver Westworld.

When the prosecutors dropped the original charges against McKeon, Charity O'Konski, the dead boy’s grandmother shouted, ‘She killed a baby'

The boy's father, Tyler Davis, 22, was in prison at the time of Austin's death after he was arrested for not registering as a sex offender

When the prosecutors dropped the original charges against McKeon, Charity O'Konski, the dead boy’s grandmother shouted, ‘She killed a baby,' reports CBS4.



Outside court O’Konski said she would have been happy to care for Austin if she had known the circumstances.



'All she had to do was call me. There’s no if, ands or buts to what happened, it’s her fault no matter what happened. She is accountable for that baby,' said O’Konski.



'Nothing is ever going to be enough, because he will never come back to us but she took his life away and the only way to take her life away is to let her sit behind those bars and let her think about what she did.'

A doctor who tried to save Austin’s life was concerned the boy possibly had ingested prescription medication or other substances

A guilty plea to the original charges would have only carried a maximum sentence of 42 months.



The district attorney said that would not be sufficient punishment for the crime so he dropped the charges. He hopes to file felony child abuse resulting in death charges against McKeon.

The district attorney is waiting for an official cause of death for Austin. The coroner and investigators are waiting for toxicology reports to come back which will take at least two weeks.



A doctor who tried to save Austin’s life was concerned the boy possibly had ingested prescription medication or other substances. McKeon’s bond was set at $250,000.



The boy’s father, Tyler Davis, 22, was in prison at the time of Austin's death after he was arrested for not registering as a sex offender after allegedly going up to multiple underage teen girls and offering them money for sex.



Video: Mom charged with child abuse following her 3-year-old’s death

