By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Nodaway County Prosecutor Tina Deiter has concluded no crime was committed in the abandonment of a fetus at Mozingo Lake, calling the case simply a tragic stillbirth.
An employee at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park discovered the body of a deceased male infant while performing routine maintenance May 25th. Maryville Public Safety Officers were called to the scene. It was determined the fetus had died in utero, commonly referred to as a stillbirth.
Deiter says a full autopsy reviewed by the Medical Examiner of Boone and Calloway County along with a physician associated with the University of Missouri School of Medicine determine there was no evidence of a live birth.
The prosecutor states DNA evidence identified a 19-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man, both from St. Louis, as the mother and father, who were visited Mozingo for an event. Deiter says both cooperated in the investigation.
Deiter noted the Missouri General Assembly has not passed any laws criminalizing the disposal of fetal remains. The prosecutor concluded there was no evidence of a crime committed.
The City of Maryville held a graveside memorial service for the infant in June at Oak Hill Cemetery.
You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.