Baby sitter to stand trial for death of infant girl

POPLARBLUFF, Mo. -- A baby sitter has been ordered to stand trial in Butler County for the death of a six-month-old girl in her care.

Circuit Court Judge John Bloodworth issued the order following Monday's preliminary hearing for Amy Davis of Poplar Bluff. She is charged with a Class C felony of involuntary manslaughter -- or in the alternative, a Class A felony of child endangerment -- in connection with the death of Starla Hollis.

Butler County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Wade Pierce handled the case for the state.

Pierce called three witnesses. The first was Heather Hollis, the infant's mother.

When asked about the infant's state of health, Hollis told the court that "I had just taken Star to the doctor two days before for her immunizations. She was in perfect health."

Hollis went on to say that Davis had watched the infant more than 10 times before. Hollis said she even considered Davis to be a friend.

Poplar Bluff police detective Tim Davis told the court detectives responded to the residence on Main Street in response to a report of an infant that was unresponsive. He said when detectives began to question Amy Davis about the incident, they were told that she put the baby down on the floor and went to the bathroom. When she came back out of the bathroom, her 5 year-old daughter was holding the baby and shaking it.

When questioning was moved to the Poplar Bluff Police Station, Davis said the suspect repeated her story again.

Change in story

"It wasn't until later that Amy Davis told us that she had been the one who shook the baby," the detective said.

"She said that she shook the baby until it turned pale white and began gasping for breath."

Dr. Jimmy L. Costin, a child-death pathologist who performed an autopsy on the infant, said X-rays revealed five broken ribs and the autopsy showed inner-abdominal bleeding as the cause of death.

If convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Davis could face up to seven years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. If convicted of child endangerment, Davis could face 10 to 30 years in prison.