Prosecution lining up witnesses in death of Perry County boy

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- At least a half-dozen witnesses will testify when Emily and Michael Altom go before a judge on charges they medically neglected their son, Perry County prosecutor Tom Hoeh said Tuesday.

Four-year-old Ethan Patrick Williams died Aug. 25 of complications related to a severe bacterial infection. Emily Altom, the boy's mother, and Michael Altom, the boy's stepfather, are charged with voluntary manslaughter in his death.

Judge Michael Bullerdieck set Dec. 2 as the date for a preliminary hearing on the charges against the couple. In addition to the manslaughter charge, the Altoms face three counts each of felony child endangerment.

Those testifying at the preliminary hearing will include doctors who treated Ethan at both Perry County Memorial Hospital and Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis, where he died, Hoeh said. Ethan was taken to Perry County Memorial on Aug. 1, then flown to Cardinal Glennon several hours later.

The child endangerment charges stem from the living conditions found when Perry County sheriff's deputies and workers from the state Children's Division investigated the Altoms' rural Perry County home on Aug. 3. Ethan's brother, Holton Williams, 6, was taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital with a similar, less serious infection. The youngest child, Dorian Altom, 2, and Holton are currently in foster care.

A preliminary hearing is used to determine whether enough evidence exists to take a case to trial. The Altoms' hearing will be longer and more detailed than most, Hoeh said.

'A half-dozen, minimum'

The exact number of witnesses is uncertain, Hoeh said. "There will be a half-dozen, minimum."

The Altoms were surrounded by family and friends as they waited for their brief appearance Tuesday before Bullerdieck. They said nothing as Bullerdieck and the lawyers discussed a date for the hearing.

As they left the courthouse, family and friends jumped in front of television and newspaper cameras to block the view.

Allen Moss of Cape Girardeau, the couple's attorney, said the show of support was a strong message. "This whole situation, of having lost your child and going through the grief process and then have something like this happen, the anguish and anxiety I see is just heartbreaking."

If Bullerdieck orders the case to go to trial, Moss said he will likely ask to move the case out of Perry County. Moss criticized Perry County deputies for statements about the case to the Southeast Missourian and other media.

"Any time a case is pending in court, I don't think parties should be talking about the evidence," Moss said. "This case needs to be tried in court, not the media."

A finished autopsy report isn't ready, Perry County coroner Herb Miller said Tuesday. He is waiting for the St. Louis city medical examiner's office to finish its work.

But last week, pathologist Jane Turner of the medical examiner's office said Ethan clearly died of an extreme bacterial infection in his right leg bone and muscle. He was extremely ill by the time the Altoms took him to the Perry County Memorial emergency room, Turner said.

Turner was reviewing medical records to determine the exact bacterial responsible for the infection. She could not be reached Tuesday.

Family members have said the infection was staphylococcus bacteria.

In addition to Holton and Ethan, Dorian also needed treatment for a staph infection, as did a cousin who visited the Altoms' home for a birthday party on July 30, said Lynn Murray, Ethan's grandfather.

And Murray said he is recovering from a painful staph infection in his legs that hospitalized him. "I am still out of work with ulcerated veins in both my legs," he said.

The source of Murray's staph infections is a mystery, he said. Long nights in the hospital with Ethan could be the culprit, he said. "I am a tough old country boy, and I can tolerate a whole lot of pain. My leg was swollen up real bad the day of the funeral."

Ethan appeared healthy during the birthday party, Murray said. He was hospitalized two days later.

Sworn statements filed by Perry County sheriff's Capt. Jason Kelley detail a home filled with trash, dirty dishes and discarded food. Kelley said Emily Altom told him that after Ethan became ill on the evening of July 30, he lay on the couch for most of two days and turned a "modeling clay gray color."

Ethan developed a fever on July 31, but he was not taken to the emergency room until 9 p.m. on Aug. 1, Kelley wrote in his affidavit.

At one point, Ethan soiled himself with feces and he was taken outside and hosed off, Emily Altom told Kelley.