REMEMBERING AUSTIN

Austin Davis was just three years old when his life ended on March 27, 2014, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

He was a little boy who should have been spending his days playing, learning, exploring, and enjoying the simple experiences of childhood.

At three years old, Austin depended entirely upon the adults around him for food, water, comfort, and protection.

He was too young to understand why he had been left alone and too young to provide for himself.

Instead of being cared for, Austin was repeatedly abandoned inside a cabin while his mother went to work and spent time elsewhere.

His life ended from dehydration, a death that could have been prevented.

Austin's Story

Austin lived with his mother, Meghan McKeon, in a cabin at a campground near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

The cabin had no running water.

According to investigators, McKeon had developed a pattern of leaving Austin alone while she went to work or spent time away from home.

She reportedly admitted that she had left him unattended on approximately 20 previous occasions.

On March 27, 2014, Austin was found unresponsive inside the cabin.

His mother initially told police that she had left him with a babysitter while she went to work.

Investigators later determined that this account was false.

McKeon admitted that she had left Austin alone after providing some food and putting on a movie.

She then went to work and spent time at her boyfriend's home rather than remaining with her son.

Investigators eventually determined that Austin had been left without adult supervision for approximately three days.

During that time, the little boy had no access to running water and no adult available to provide the care he needed.

When investigators examined the cabin, they found disturbing living conditions.

Human waste and partially eaten food were scattered throughout the residence. Razor blades and other potentially dangerous objects were accessible to a young child.

Austin had been left in an environment where he could not safely meet his most basic needs.

When McKeon returned, she found Austin lying on his back, unresponsive.

Instead of immediately obtaining emergency medical assistance, she contacted Austin's father, Tyler Davis, who was incarcerated at the time.

Other family members eventually contacted emergency services.

But Austin could not be saved.

An autopsy determined that Austin died from dehydration.

He was only three years old.

Warning Signs and System Failures

Austin's death was not the result of one isolated decision to leave him unattended.

According to investigators, his mother admitted that she had left him alone approximately 20 times before.

This pattern placed Austin at repeated risk.

At three years old, he could not reliably obtain food or water, respond to an emergency, or leave the cabin to seek help.

The lack of running water made the situation even more dangerous.

The investigation also documented unsafe and unsanitary conditions inside the residence.

These circumstances demonstrated that Austin had been exposed to neglect before the final incident.

However, the available reporting does not establish that child protective services had received earlier reports about Austin or that a specific agency failed to act on a documented warning.

The known failure was the repeated decision by the adult responsible for his care to leave him alone.

Austin needed supervision, food, water, and a safe home.

He did not receive the protection he deserved.

JUSTICE FOR AUSTIN

Following Austin's death, Meghan McKeon was initially charged with misdemeanor offenses involving child abuse and reckless endangerment.

Those charges were dismissed when prosecutors decided to pursue more serious felony charges.

McKeon was subsequently arrested and charged with child abuse resulting in death.

Investigators continued examining the circumstances of Austin's death and determined that he had been left alone for approximately three days.

On November 5, 2014, McKeon pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse resulting in death.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed another child abuse count.

She was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

During the sentencing hearing, Austin's paternal grandmother, Charity O'Konski, spoke about the loss of her grandson and the pain caused by his death.

The judge described McKeon's actions as outrageous and emphasized that the danger to Austin had been foreseeable.

McKeon received credit for 223 days already spent in custody.

Meghan McKeon

Relationship to Austin: Mother

Conviction(s): Child abuse resulting in death

Sentence: 22 years in prison

FOREVER REMEMBERED

Austin Davis was three years old.

His life ended because he was left alone without the basic necessities a child needs to survive.

He was not old enough to understand why his mother had gone away.

He could not obtain the water his body desperately needed.

He could not make a telephone call for help or find an adult to care for him.

He was a little boy who depended upon others for everything.

And when he needed protection most, he was alone.

Austin should have been playing with toys, watching movies with someone beside him, enjoying meals with his family, and experiencing the everyday moments that make up a childhood.

There should have been a fourth birthday.

There should have been preschool, kindergarten, friendships, family photographs, and years of memories.

Instead, Austin's life ended at three years old.

His grandmother and other family members were left to mourn a little boy who should have had an entire future ahead of him.

Austin was more than the circumstances of his death.

He was a child whose life mattered.

He deserved to be safe.

He deserved to be cared for.

And he deserved to grow up.

Abuse Angels remembers Austin Davis.

Remembered. Honored. Never Forgotten.