LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (KCTV) - Two suspects in the fentanyl death of a Kansas toddler entered not guilty pleas as they face first-degree murder charges.

The defendants, Tara A. Huerta, 40, and Kenneth Hedgecock, 34, also face charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and three counts of opiate possession in the Leavenworth County District Court .

Prosecutors say the pair caused a 3-year-old’s fatal fentanyl poisoning in March 2025. First responders found the toddler unresponsive in a Leavenworth apartment.

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Emergency crews said they rushed the child to a nearby hospital; however, medical staff pronounced the toddler deceased.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation later confirmed that methamphetamine,

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