We hear it all the time from those accused of committing crimes….”I’m Innocent….i didn’t do it”. The problem? Convincing every else, including a judge and jury and providing evidence. Patricia Stallings faced this same speculation in 1989 when she was accused of poisoning her infant son. While in jail awaiting trial, maintaining her innocence, Patricia discovered she was pregnant again. What she and her husband David couldn’t imagine was this unexpected baby would end up providing the proof of Patricia’s innocence. The new infant, while under foster care, exhibited the same symptoms as his late brother. Testing confirmed a rare genetic disorder which if left untreated, would exhibit the same symptoms of antifreeze poisoning which was the initial cause of death of the infant Patricia was facing charges for. Despite the findings, Patricia still was convicting and sentenced to life in prison for poisoning her son. After her last appeal which aired on Unsolved Mysteries, local scientists conducted their own examinations and proved the mistakes of the evidence used to convict Patricia. This case proves that even if rare, genetic disorders need to be taken into consideration during investigations to prove, without a doubt, a crime had been committed.

Sources:

“Patricia Stallings” on The National Registry of Exonerations (https://exonerationregistry.org/cases/10877)

“Mom Charged in Son’s Death: Antifreeze put in his Bottle” in Daily American Republic on September 8, 1989

“Patricia Stallings: Sentenced to life without parole for a crime that didn’t happen” on Bluhm Legal Clinic - Center on Wrongful Convictions (https://www.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/wrongfulconvictions/exonerations/mo/patricia-stallings.html)

“Mother’s Tale: Son’s Death, Her Imprisonment” by Tom Uhlenbrock in St. Louis Post-Dispatch on April 4, 1990

“Patty Stallings” on Unsolved Mysteries (https://unsolved.com/gallery/patty-stallings/)

“Baby in Murder Case not Tested for Fatal Disorder” by Tom Uhlenbrock in St. Louis Post-Dispatch on May 5, 1990

“The Tragic Story Of Patricia Stallings, The Woman Wrongfully Convicted Of Murdering Her Own Baby” by Amber Morgan on All That’s Interesting on November 26, 2024 (https://allthatsinteresting.com/patricia-stallings)

“Trial Delayed in Infant’s Death” by Tom Uhlenbrock in St. Louis Post-Dispatch on September 16, 1990

https://www.facebook.com/historyfeels/posts/in-1989-a-woman-named-patricia-stallings-was-jailed-for-life-for-poisoning-her-c/1294384992484510/

“Fight’s Over: Freed from Prison, Patricia Stallings Tries to Start Life Again” by Virgil Tipton in St. Louis Post-Dispatch on September 22, 1991

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118327877/david_patrick-stallings

“Not Guilty: How the System Failed Patricia Stallings” by Bill Smith in St. Louis Post-Dispatch on October 20, 1991

“Deadly Formula” on Forensic Files - Season 3, Episode 8 on PEACOCK

Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack- Season 3, Episode 19 on TUBI