Mother Charged in Death of Five-Year-Old

Charges have been filed against the mother of a five-year-old boy who died from the result of suspected child abuse.Heather Peterson, age 30, of Liberty, is charged in Gage County with negligent child abuse resulting in death, a class 2A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison; negligent child abuse, a class 12 misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine; and two counts of failure to report child abuse, a class 3 misdemeanor punishable by to three months in jail and a $500 fine for each count.The Affidavit in Support of Arrest Warrant is currently under seal by the court.An arrest warrant was issued for Peterson on July 31. The defendant was arrested and was booked into the Gage County Jail on Tuesday, August 12, where she remains in custody. Arraignment is scheduled for August 26. Other SuspectPeterson's fiancé, Timothy Lee Erks, age 30, also of Liberty, is already in custody and being held without bond. He is charged with intentional child abuse resulting in death, a class 1B felony punishable by a minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison. He is also charged with two additional counts of intentional child abuse not resulting in injury, each a class 3A felony punishable by up to three years in prison, nine to 18 months of post-release supervision.Erks is currently on the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry as a 15-year registrant. He was convicted of third-degree sexual assault in Gage County on August 21, 2014, and sentenced to one year in jail.In 2016, Erks was charged with violating the Sex Offender Registry Act by failing to report a change of address as required. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of obstructing government operations and was sentenced to 12 months of probation. In 2018, he was charged with two more counts of violating the Sex Offender Registry Act. Again, he pleaded guilty to obstructing government operations for each count and was sentenced to 24 months of probation.Bond was originally set at $1 million (10 percent). That was changed to a no-bond hold after the victim died. Erks remains in custody. InvestigationOn Monday, June 23, 2025 at 6:48 a.m., the Gage County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into a report of child abuse resulting in significant injury in Liberty. The sheriff’s office was notified of a five-year-old male who was unresponsive and in care at a hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. Deputies and investigators were able to determine the child had been taken to the hospital in Marysville, Kansas, then emergency transported to the hospital in Kansas City for specialized care.Gage County deputies and investigators worked with detectives from the Kansas City Police Department and officers of the Marysville Police Department to obtain evidence during this case and developed Liberty resident Timothy Lee Erks as a suspect.A search warrant was executed at Erks residence outside of Liberty later in the day on June 23, however Erks was not at the residence.A deputy observed Erks in a vehicle on Highway 8 outside of Liberty and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. He was then interviewed by deputies and an investigator and subsequently arrested for child abuse resulting in injury and first-degree assault.According to investigators, the boy's one-and-a-half-year-old sister is also a victim.

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