Police Investigate Child's Scalding Death in West Plains MO

So sad, this poor little baby.. She's now an angel. R.I.P.

West Plains, Missouri- West Plains Police expect to wrap up their case Thursday in the death of a two-year-old girl.

The child's mother, Bobbie Carroll of Jefferson City, says her daughter Shady Hicks had severe burns on more than 40% of her body.

Carroll provided KSPR News with these pictures of her daughter. She says the two-year-old was a very happy child, full of energy.

Two Women Arrested In Beating Death of a Man in Forest Park

ST. LOUIS, MO-- Two women are in police custody and accused of the murder. St. Louis investigators say the women are responsible for the beating death of a 26 year old man whose body was found in Forest Park.

Willard Payne's body was found in the Kennedy Forest near a jogging trail Monday morning, just west of the St. Louis Zoo.

According to police, Payne met the women at a different location and asked them to smoke some marijuana with him. They eventually ended up in Forest Park. The women told police he then made some verbal advances towards the 25-year old female. She said no, so he allegedly started doing to same to her 20-year old companion.

It was later discovered by police that the women were apparently girlfriends, both of whom were larger than the victim. Reports indicate they started beating him. Payne ran and they then caught him and beat him to death, according to police.

Police caught the pair because they initially reported that the man tried to rape them. Police now say that's not the case. The names of the women will likely be released later Tuesday.

Police Officer Charged For 4 Deaths In Fatal Car Accident

(KTVI-FOX2now.com) - A Sunset Hills police officer's blood alcohol level was twice Missouri's legal limit hours after the crash she is accused of causing that killed four people, say prosecutors. Chrissy Miller is now charged with four counts of manslaughter and one count of assault. She is under house arrest.

"Obviously there was a problem here with an individual who went way beyond the limit and had incredibly tragic results," says St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch. "She'd been drinking with friends at an establishment for several hours before the accident. At the hospital it was determined her blood alcohol was substantially above the recognized limit in the state of Missouri. It was a .16 about three hours later and a .15 about four hours after the accident."

Miller was allegedly going the wrong direction on Dougherty Ferry at 1:45 AM March 21. She crashed into a car carrying five people of Indian descent. Four of them: Anusha Anumolu, 23, of Charleston, IL; Satya Chinta, 25, of Aurora, IL; Anitha Lakshmi, 23, of Charleston, IL.; and Prya Muppvarapu, 22, of Charleston, IL died instantly. The driver Nitesh Adusumilli, 27, had serious injuries but survived.

Miller was arrested at home Tuesday morning, and booked in the St. Louis County jail, but she was released into her family's custody. McCulloch says Miller's head injuries are so severe, she needs to be kept on house arrest with an ankle monitor. She will only be allowed to leave for doctors' appointments. Miller can walk, but was in a wheelchair as she left the jail.

St. Louis's Indian community still mourns, but Telugu Association President Suren Pathuri says there is no anger, "It's a step in the right direction, hopefully justice will prevail," he says. "Our sympathy goes out to the Christine Miller family. It's hard for her and we hope God will give her strength to face this. Hopefully she'll be stronger."

Pathuri says some in the Indian community were worried the charges were taking too long. McCulloch says it was simply because there were no eye witnesses and reconstruction took a while. He says this case isn't treated any differently because a law enforcement officer is involved.

"You certainly might expect more from a police officer, but from a legal standpoint they're not held to a higher or lower standard. They are held to the same standard as everybody else," says McCulloch.

St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch explained, "Her arrest was made by Missouri State Trooper Ryan Burckhardt this morning, at her home. She was taken to St. John's Hospital where she was examined and she was listed as fit for confinement, understanding she's still receiving medical attention. That's why we arranged to have her under house arrest with an ankle bracelet on."

Miller is suspended without pay from the Sunset Hills Police Department effective Tuesday.

"Hours after the crash it was determined her blood alcohol was substantially above the recognized limit in the state of Missouri. It was a .16 at about three hours later and a .15 about four hours after the accident, " stated McCulloch.

Her bond is set at $200,000 and the case will be presented to the grand jury in four to six weeks.

Miller is a 12-year veteran of the police department.

After the accident, Miller had surgery and was in critical condition at St. John's.

At the time of the accident, Nothum would not say why authorities suspected Miller had been drinking. Sunset Hills Police Chief William LaGrand added at the time that drinking and driving would be out of character for Miller, a single mother with one son.

Joshua Childers Found!!!!

Joshua Childers of Southern MO has been found. His condition has not been released nor the circumstances of his disappearance, but he is home and alive!

Joshua Wandered off Monday from his families home near Arcadia while his mom was on the phone and his father was asleep in bed.

Missing Joshua Childers From Missouri: Bring Him Home!

Volunteers on horseback and all-terrain vehicles joined the search Monday for a 3-year-old boy who slipped out of his home in rural southeast Missouri.

Joshua Childers was reported missing by his parents shortly after noon Monday, Madison County Sheriff David Lewis said. The boy had not been found by late Monday night as the search continued in a rugged area near the Madison-Iron county line between Fredericktown and Ironton.

The blond toddler, about 3 feet tall and weighing 35 pounds, was wearing a dark blue shirt and a pull-up diaper when he left his house near Arcadia through the back door around 11:30 a.m., the sheriff said. His father works nights and was asleep at the time.

Lewis said Joshua had been gone about five minutes when his parents noticed he was missing. The couple searched about 45 minutes in the hilly terrain around their home, then called authorities. Helicopters flew over the area as officers from local police and sheriffs' departments and the Missouri State Highway Patrol searched a half-mile area around the home.

Hundreds of volunteers then joined the effort, and Missouri Department of Corrections bloodhounds from the state prison at Farmington were brought in. The weather was mild, with temperatures around 55 degrees late Monday, but Lewis noted that the sparsely populated area is dotted with ponds and creeks.

Arcadia is about 75 miles southwest of St. Louis. If you have any information, please cal the Madison County, MO Sheriff's Department at (573) 783-2234.
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