In a tragic turn of events, a Missouri woman finds herself incarcerated following the unintended death of a child due to a shooting, according to local law enforcement in the Show-Me State.

Jo Marie Timmons, aged 37, has been charged with five counts of first-degree child endangerment, as confirmed by the Randolph County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. These serious charges stem from a heartbreaking incident that unfolded in January at a home in Moberly, a quaint city situated about 40 miles north of Columbia.

The day of the incident saw the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responding to a distress call regarding an 11-year-old who had sustained a gunshot wound. This information is detailed in a probable cause statement reported by Columbia-based media outlets, KMIZ and KOMU.

While the authorities have kept the identity of the deceased child under wraps, prior reports suggest that the victim was a fifth-grade girl attending school in the Moberly School District. The incident, described as accidental, occurred over a weekend, according to KMIZ.

Upon arriving at the scene, deputies were guided by a 12-year-old to a Bersa .380 handgun hidden within a dresser. Allegedly, Timmons admitted to leaving three children, aged 10 and two 7-year-olds, on their own while she went out to collect her paycheck. The details are outlined in the charging documents, painting a grim picture of negligence leading to such a devastating outcome.

Upon arrival at the residence, a 12-year-old helped deputies locate a Bersa .380 handgun in a dresser, according to the charging document. Timmons allegedly said she left three children — who were identified as a 10-year-old and two 7-year-olds — alone while she went to pick up her paycheck.

The defendant allegedly went on to say she received a phone call indicating a vehicle unknown to the children had pulled up in their driveway, according to the sheriff’s office. Then, minutes later, another phone call allegedly came from a girl who said she shot someone.

The children, for their part, also gave statements indicating an unknown vehicle had arrived, authorities said. The children said they hid in a bedroom and then a shot was fired when a child grabbed the gun, according to the probable cause statement.

One child went on to tell investigators the safety for the gun was on but they were unaware that a bullet had already been loaded into the chamber, according to the heavily redacted charging document.

The precise ages and number of children involved in the incident have proved both confusing and a matter of secrecy.

“[Redacted] were placed in a different home,” the probable cause statement reads.

In comments to KMIZ, Randolph County Prosecutor Stephanie Luntsford declined to answer whether all of the children at the residence that day belonged to Timmons.

“All I can really probably say at this time is that there either have been or were several children residing in this home,” the prosecutor said.

Authorities said at least five children between the ages of 7 and 12 were left alone inside the house that day.

As for the residence itself, law enforcement found living conditions in a state of filthy disarray — an allegation that factored into the charges leveled against the defendant, Luntsford said.

Inside the residence, deputies documented deeply substandard living conditions, including an environment permeated by the stench of feces and urine. Trash of various sorts was allegedly present throughout, including loose pills and used condoms.

“Trash, dirty dishes, and food remnants littered the countertops, sink, and table,” a detective wrote in the probable cause statement.

In Timmons’ bedroom, investigators discovered a shotgun affixed to the wall and crawling with cockroaches, law enforcement officials claim. Witnesses later told investigators the firearm was “not always kept secure,” according to the charging document.

“All of us might have a different standard on what’s acceptable as how we should keep our house clean,” Luntsford told KMIZ. “But if it rises above a level where it seems to be very unsanitary to the point that it is probably posing a danger to the child either because it’s very unhealthy or the situation in which they are living may be unsafe in some way, then we would look at charging endangering.”

The defendant was arrested on Thursday and remains detained in the Randolph County Jail on bond, sheriff’s office records show.

Timmons faces a possible sentence of 30 years in prison because one of the counts relates to the death of a child, according to the prosecutor. Otherwise, child endangerment charges carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.