Des Moines Police are searching for the mother of a child who died back in December.
35-year old Erica Lynn Rankins is wanted on warrants of Child Endangerment and Neglect or Abandonment of a child.
Police were called to a house on East side of Des Moines in December on a report of a child not breathing.
When they arrived, they found a five-year old boy not breathing. He later died at a nearby hospital.
Anyone with information about Rankins whereabouts should call the Des Moines Police Department.
Full release from DMPD:
On 20 December 2020, at approximately 5:06 a.m., Des Moines Police Department patrol officers and Des Moines Fire Department rescue personnel responded to a residence in the 2400 block of Garfield Ave. to investigate a report of a child not breathing. Des Moines Police Department public safety dispatchers provided the child’s mother with CPR guidance while officers and medics responded.
First responders arrived to find a 5-year-old male in full cardiac arrest. Life-saving efforts continue as the child was transported to, and after arrival at, Blank Childrens Hospital. Despite those efforts, the child died at the hospital.
Des Moines Police Department detectives began a death investigation. Evidence recovered established probable cause to obtain multiple warrants for the arrest of the child’s mother, 35-year-old Des Moines resident Ericka Lynn Rankins.
Rankins is currently wanted on warrants for:
• Child Endangerment (9 counts)
• Neglect or Abandonment of a Dependent Child (2 counts)
The victims connected to these charges are multiple, minor aged, children of Rankins. At this time, no charges have been filed in connection with the ongoing death investigation. To date, Rankins has declined to surrender to detectives, and she has avoided arrest. Detectives are requesting the community’s assistance in locating Rankins.
If you have any information regarding the location of Rankins, please contact the Des Moines Police Department at 515-283-4811. You may also submit tips through CrimeStoppers of Central Iowa at 515-223-1400, or online at www.crimestoppersofcentraliowa.com. You may remain anonymous, and reward funds may be available.