Child Abuse Archives

Judge approves change of venue request in child death case

January 7, 2022 11:37 AM Zachary Farwell

Prosecutors have charged Kourtney Aumen and three other people in the December 2020 death of 4-year-old Jessica Mast.

Motion to dismiss filed for one suspect accused of killing a four-year-old girl

December 6, 2021 10:24 PM Karl Wehmhoener

WARSAW, Mo. (KMIZ) Kourtney Aumen’s lawyers filed to dismiss her charges that she is accused of abusing and killing 4-year-old Jessica Mast. Aumen’s lawyers say the charges do not state a cause against Aumen and do not inform Aumen of the nature and substance of the charges against her. Law enforcement believes she and three

Jury chosen in murder trial of Joseph Elledge

November 1, 2021 6:43 AM Meghan Drakas

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Jury selection was finalized Monday, in the first-degree murder trial of Columbia man, Joseph Elledge. Judge Brouck Jacobs swore in the jurors around 6:15 p.m. on Monday. Jacobs, along with the prosecution and defense, spent all day Monday asking questions of jurors to find the group of people from Boone County to

Columbia assistant coach accused of distributing child pornography

July 23, 2021 10:07 AM Molly Stawinoga

Online records show Benjamin Melvin, 25, was being held Friday in the Boone County Jail without bond.

Miller County man sentenced to prison for child sex crimes

July 14, 2021 5:33 PM Matthew Sanders

Luke A. Lessmeier pleaded guilty to one count of statutory sodomy in a Miller County courtroom. He will have to serve at least 85% of his sentence before he can be paroled, according to court records. He will have to register as a sex offender for life, county prosecutor Ben Winfrey said in a news release.

Columbia man gets 16 years in prison for child molestation

July 13, 2021 5:23 PM Matthew Sanders

Cale Kliethermes pleaded guilty in April to first-degree child molestation, two counts of attempted child endangerment and one count of sexual misconduct involving a child under 15. Prosecutors dismissed another attempted child endangerment count as part of the plea deal.

Columbia woman charged with child abuse after 5-week-old found injured

May 19, 2021 6:29 PM ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia woman is charged with first-degree child endangerment after allegedly hurting her 5-week-old baby. Carolyn Yunek is accused of causing several fractures to the child including to his skull and leg. According to court documents, a pediatric radiologist stated the fracture in the leg typically occurs when someone would pick up

The Missouri Attorney General's Office in Jefferson City.

Human trafficking operation in Columbia rescues 9 victims, 2 children

May 15, 2021 9:41 AM Zach Boetto

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Authorities detained two suspects and are now investigating after a human trafficking operation led to the discovery and rescue of nine victims and two children. The Columbia Police Department, Boone County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Attorney General’s Office, and other local, state, and federal agencies detained the two suspects

Jefferson City man gets probation after pleading guilty to child abuse

May 6, 2021 8:51 PM ABC 17 News Team

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Cole County man pleaded guilty to child abuse charges in connection with an incident that happened last September. 30-year-old Sulaimaan Habeel admitted to a felony charge of abuse or neglect of a child and a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child. Jefferson City police investigated the abuse

Columbia businessman pleads guilty to child molestation, endangerment

April 26, 2021 10:31 AM ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man is set to be sentenced in July after he pleaded guilty Friday to four felonies including child molestation and child endangerment. Cale J. Kliethermes, 43, faces between five and 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree child molestation, two counts of attempted child endangerment and one count

Camden woman charged after child burned in bath

March 25, 2021 11:45 PM Karl Wehmhoener

CAMDENTON, Mo. (KMIZ) A Camden County mother is charged with abuse or neglect of a child after the baby was badly burned on Feb. 13. Abigail Rea told deputies that Samuel Webster always gives the baths but it is always in lukewarm water. Officials say the father, Webster, gave the child a bath that caused

Missouri attorney general calls large scale of girls’ ranch sexual abuse unprecedented

March 10, 2021 11:32 AM ABC 17 News Team

Missouri’s attorney general said Wednesday that more than 100 charges have been filed against a couple who operated a girls’ ranch in southwest Missouri.

Benton County judge sets bond for mother accused in child murder case

February 2, 2021 11:56 AM Matt Ragsdale

A Benton County judge approved bond for a mother charged in connection with her child’s death.

Multiple charges filed against Mexico man after child abuse investigation

January 21, 2021 10:21 PM Karl Wehmhoener

MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ) A Mexico man is facing multiple charges after a child abuse investigation began in Nov. 2020. According to a probable cause statement, the victim walked-in to the Mexico Public Safety Department asking for help to contact his mother. Detective Tylor Bounds saw bruising on the victim and asked about it. The victim

Suspects in Benton County child murder case appear in court

January 5, 2021 10:15 AM Lucas Geisler

Three of the four people facing criminal charges for the death of a 4-year-old Benton County girl appeared in court Tuesday morning.

Three people face charges in Howard County after a child injured

December 30, 2020 5:28 PM Karl Wehmhoener

FAYETTE, Mo. (KMIZ) Howard County Sheriff’s Department began an investigation after a child in Fayette was placed on a ventilator due to exposure to marijuana and “essential oils” on Nov. 18. According to court documents, the child was found unresponsive and taken to the hospital where Tristan Easley told hospital staff that “he left the

Parents enter not guilty plea to charges in 4-year-old girl’s death

December 28, 2020 11:21 PM Karl Wehmhoener

COLE CAMP, Mo. (KMIZ) James and Mary Mast, the parents of a 4-year-old Missouri girl that neighbors allegedly killed, have both pleaded not guilty to charges in their court cases. Mary Mast – Courtesy Benton County Sheriff’s Department Both of them entered their plea during a hearing Monday morning to charges of felony child endangerment

Benton County Sheriff: Parents arrested in connection to child’s death

December 24, 2020 9:50 PM Karl Wehmhoener

STOVER, Mo. (KMIZ) Benton County Sheriff’s Department is reporting the arrest of Mary S. Mast, 29 and James A. Mast, 28 at a residence in Stover, Mo. this evening by the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department. James and Mary are the parents of the four-year-old that died on Sunday. Mary Mast – Courtesy Benton County Sheriff’s

A Benton County Sheriff Facebook post reveals a mother and two children were severely beaten, leaving one child dead.

One child dead, mother and second child recovering after being severely beaten

December 20, 2020 11:45 AM Zach Boetto

BENTON COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) A toddler is dead and her mother and another child are recovering in a Sedalia hospital after all three were severely beaten Sunday morning. In a Facebook post, the Benton County Sheriff said an investigation led Benton County deputies to arrest 35 year old Ethan J. Mast and 21 year old

Fulton man sentenced 14 years for sexually assaulting children

December 16, 2020 7:45 PM ABC 17 News Team

FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ) A Fulton man pleaded guilty today to sodomy and child molestation after his arrest in 2018. 56-year-old Patrick Metcalf and his wife Jamiey Metcalf admitted to sexually assaulting two victims under the age of 14 in 2017. Patrick Metcalf was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the crimes. Per Missouri law,