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DMPD locate mother wanted in connection to child endangerment investigation

Police say Ericka Rankins was found in Minnesota almost exactly two years after her 5-year-old child was found in full cardiac arrest and later died at the hospital.

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The Des Moines Police Department has located the suspect in a child endangerment investigation that started in December 2020.

Ericka Lynn Rankins was located by the U.S. Marshals Service in Minnesota, police said in a Wednesday release.

The news comes almost exactly two years after police say Rankins called 911 from a home in the 2400 block of Garfield Avenue on Dec. 20, 2020, saying her child was not breathing. 

Dispatchers provided Rankins CPR guidance until officers arrived.

Upon arrival, however, the 5-year-old child was found in full cardiac arrest and later died at the hospital.

In a press release from Feb. 3, 2021, police said Rankins was wanted on warrants for nine counts of child endangerment and two counts of neglect of abandonment of a child. 

Victims also connected to these charges are multiple minor-aged children of Rankins.

In that same February 2021 release, police said Rankins declined to surrender to police and avoided arrest. 

Local 5 will update this story as more information becomes available. Download the We Are Iowa app or subscribe to Local 5's "5 Things to Know" email newsletter for the latest.

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