She was unjustly convicted of killing her child, but science saves her

In 1989 a mother was arrested for the murder of her child. However, it turns out, son He passed away due to a rare disease The woman was acquitted thanks to the intervention of a biochemist from St. Louis University and above all.

It all started on July 7, 1989 in Jefferson County, Missouri. After they were taken to the hospital, doctors noticed unusually high levels of ethylene glycol in the baby’s blood. For this reason, experts believe that The boy was poisoned with antifreeze After he was rescued, he was placed in protective custody.

About eight weeks later, the biological parents visited their son, who had been placed in adoptive parents. The next day, he started vomiting and was taken back to the emergency room: the diagnosis was the same, unusually high levels of ethylene glycol, But he died this time.

Antifreeze was found by authorities in the home of Patricia and David Stallings and the next day their mother was accused of killing her son. The woman was pregnant with her second child, and after giving birth, the woman was pregnant A baby wearing a swaddle has started experiencing symptoms similar to those of his deceased brotherAlthough he did not contact his mother.

It is for this reason that he was immediately diagnosed with a rare genetic disease – Methylmalonic acid (MMA) – He explains not only his symptoms, but his brother’s (Speaking of rare diseases, do you know Uncombable Hair Syndrome?). Beyond injury and insult: Stallings’ attorney was aware of the genetic condition, but failed to present enough evidence to the court to exonerate Patricia.

Results? Patricia was sentenced to life imprisonment. The woman was rescued by biochemist William Sly of Saint Louis University while he was watching the episode “Unsolved Mysteries” who was talking about the case. He and the director of the St. Louis University Metabolic Screening Laboratory, Dr. James Shoemaker, tested Ryan’s blood, confirming a diagnosis of the disease.

So in 1991 the woman was released and after another trial the charges against her were dropped. A similar story is the story of “Heilbronn’s ghost”, an outgrowth of absurdity that has puzzled investigators for years.