Osage Beach Man Facing Child Endangerment Charges

An Osage Beach resident is facing legal action after Camden County Prosecutors charged him with seven counts of child endangerment following a fentanyl overdose incident in a Camden County residence.

Authorities say that on October 30 at 12:51 p.m., detectives from the Osage Beach Police Department responded to a call concerning a drug overdose at a residence. They discovered a lifeless 31-year-old woman in the master bedroom.

32-year-old Hunter Smith, Sr., and seven children were in the house. Smith informed detectives that he and the woman had used fentanyl the previous night and had fallen asleep. When he woke up, he found that he could not rouse the woman, who was subsequently pronounced dead by Osage Beach EMT crews.

During the investigation, detectives identified a glass pan on the master bedroom dresser, which field tests by members of the Mid-MO Drug Task Force confirmed contained fentanyl. The entire house was in disarray, with trash, spoiled food, soiled diapers, and dog feces scattered throughout.

Overflowing trash bags infested with live maggots were also discovered in the kitchen. Consequently, Smith was charged by prosecutors with seven counts of First-Degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child. He was subsequently held in custody at the Camden County Jail without bond.