- 4 days ago
Patricia Stallings (born 1964 or 1965) lived in Jefferson County, Missouri.
In July 1989, she took her 4-month-old son Ryan to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital with vomiting and breathing trouble. Lab testing seemed to show elevated ethylene glycol—the chemical in antifreeze—in his blood. Doctors suspected poisoning.
She was allowed a short visit with Ryan in protective custody on August 31. He got sick again 4 days later. She was arrested September 5th on assault charges, which were changed to first-degree murder when Ryan died on September 7, 1989. She was convicted in early 1991 and sentenced to life in prison. While in jail awaiting trial, she gave birth to a second son, David Jr., on February 17, 1990. He was placed in foster care and developed the same symptoms, even with no contact with her. He was diagnosed with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), a rare genetic disorder where the body produces propionic acid—a compound that differs from ethylene glycol by just one carbon atom and can be mistaken for it on certain lab tests. During the trial, the judge did not allow the defense to introduce MMA as a theory without proof Ryan had it. After her case was featured on Unsolved Mysteries in May 1991, biochemist William Sly of Saint Louis University saw it and had Ryan's blood retested. James Shoemaker at SLU confirmed Ryan also had MMA and showed that the testing method used in the original case could misidentify propionic acid as ethylene glycol. Stallings was released in July 1991 after nearly two years incarcerated, placed on house arrest, and prosecutors dropped the case and apologized in September 1991. In 1993 she won a seven-figure settlement against the hospital and lab. The case is still cited in medical textbooks as an example of a metabolic disorder mimicking a criminal act.
In July 1989, she took her 4-month-old son Ryan to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital with vomiting and breathing trouble. Lab testing seemed to show elevated ethylene glycol—the chemical in antifreeze—in his blood. Doctors suspected poisoning.
She was allowed a short visit with Ryan in protective custody on August 31. He got sick again 4 days later. She was arrested September 5th on assault charges, which were changed to first-degree murder when Ryan died on September 7, 1989. She was convicted in early 1991 and sentenced to life in prison. While in jail awaiting trial, she gave birth to a second son, David Jr., on February 17, 1990. He was placed in foster care and developed the same symptoms, even with no contact with her. He was diagnosed with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), a rare genetic disorder where the body produces propionic acid—a compound that differs from ethylene glycol by just one carbon atom and can be mistaken for it on certain lab tests. During the trial, the judge did not allow the defense to introduce MMA as a theory without proof Ryan had it. After her case was featured on Unsolved Mysteries in May 1991, biochemist William Sly of Saint Louis University saw it and had Ryan's blood retested. James Shoemaker at SLU confirmed Ryan also had MMA and showed that the testing method used in the original case could misidentify propionic acid as ethylene glycol. Stallings was released in July 1991 after nearly two years incarcerated, placed on house arrest, and prosecutors dropped the case and apologized in September 1991. In 1993 she won a seven-figure settlement against the hospital and lab. The case is still cited in medical textbooks as an example of a metabolic disorder mimicking a criminal act.
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TVTranscript
00:00He was, you know, hooked up to a respirator and all kinds of tubes going in and out of him,
00:06and it was awful.
00:08She, uh, took him from me and said that it's over with. He's gone.
00:17I went up to the phone, and it was David's voice, and he told me he died.
00:22I started begging that he could come up and see me, and the deputy on duty said he could, so.
00:39The year was 1989, when the Stallings family's seemingly perfect life took an ominous turn.
00:46David and Patricia Stallings' three-month-old son, Ryan, fell ill.
00:50In the quiet suburb of Hillsborough, Missouri, the Stallings couple rushed him into a hospital.
00:55They were concerned, but they had no idea what was happening to their son.
01:02Vomiting, struggling to breathe, and with an insidious poison coursing through his veins, the medical staff feared the worst.
01:10He had been pulled out with antifreeze.
01:13As accusations loomed over 24-year-old Patricia, Ryan's mother, she was named as a baby killer.
01:21Soon, an intensive investigation began.
01:24But what was the truth?
01:26Why would a first-time mother try to kill her own son?
01:31Welcome to M7 Crime Storytime, where we shed light on solved, unsolved, and twisted cases across the world.
01:39Today, we're looking at the twisted case of Patricia Stallings.
01:43But first, if you haven't subscribed to our channel by now, please consider hitting the subscribe and like buttons.
01:49Let's dive deep into the mystery without further ado.
01:52Living in Hillsborough, Missouri in 1989 was a charming experience, defined by the warmth and close-knit community spirit of
02:00the small town.
02:01Neighbors knew each other by name and shared a sense of camaraderie that made the city feel like one big
02:07family.
02:08The strong agricultural roots were evident, with many families engaged in farming and agriculture-related businesses.
02:15The simplicity of life allowed for children to play freely in the neighborhood streets, and friendships forged during these carefree
02:22moments.
02:23Apart from the friendly neighborhoods, the sense of family was strong.
02:27Among 1,625 people living in Hillsborough in 1989, one was Patricia Stallings.
02:36During the mid-1980s, Patricia was a clerk at a quaint little convenience store in St. Louis.
02:41Little did she know that fate had something extraordinary in store for her.
02:46However, a man named David Stallings was a regular customer whose visits became more than just quick stops for snacks
02:52and drinks.
02:53Their encounters evolved into something special, and in 1986, they began dating.
02:58As the years rolled by, their love blossomed.
03:02Finally, in 1988, they sealed their commitment by getting married.
03:06The vibrant city life of St. Louis welcomed them, but they chose a cozy home in Hillsborough, Missouri.
03:11Just when they thought life couldn't get any sweeter, they were blessed with a baby boy on April 4th, 1989.
03:18They named him Ryan.
03:20Ever since he was born, he suffered from gastric distress.
03:23It was not long before their world was turned upside down.
03:27In July 1989, just three months after their son was born, they witnessed him suffering from alarming symptoms.
03:35He was struggling to breathe and vomiting incessantly.
03:38Ryan was rushed to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital on July 9th, 1989.
03:43The dedicated medical team sprang into action right away.
03:47It wasn't uncommon for newborns to face health issues, but it became a problem when the symptoms did not reduce
03:54even after treatment.
03:55The medical staff put Ryan in the ICU immediately and took blood samples to check for infections.
04:01Ryan's father, David Stallings, said that the staff did not know what was wrong with him.
04:05He said it was just a shock to see a little baby incapacitated the way he was.
04:11It was to the point where they said, well, they don't know how long he's going to be here.
04:15It was to the point where they said, well, they don't know how long he's going to be here.
04:20We don't know what's wrong with him yet.
04:21So you might as well just go to the waiting room and stay out there until we can tell you
04:26what's wrong.
04:27He was hooked up to a respirator and all kinds of tubes going in and out of him and it
04:35was awful.
04:36David and Patricia rented a hospital room to be available whenever they were needed by the doctors.
04:41Hours were passing by, but there was no improvement in Ryan's health, nor could the doctors identify the problem he
04:48was facing.
04:48In the meantime, the hospital staff made a shocking discovery.
04:53Ryan's blood showed an unusually high level of what they believed to be ethylene glycol, a toxic component found in
05:00antifreeze.
05:02Acetone is in fingernail polish remover, for example.
05:05He goes, do you have any in the house?
05:07Patty uses it on her fingernails to remove her old fingernail polish.
05:11He goes, well, that's got acetone in it.
05:13I said, okay.
05:14He said, do you have antifreeze?
05:15I said, yes, I have antifreeze.
05:17I just rebuilt the radiator on my vehicle.
05:19The staff was polite to the Stallings couple when they informed them that their son would recover.
05:24But no doubt, everyone in charge of Ryan's safety was suspicious of the couple.
05:31Patricia and David were not allowed to be in Ryan's room alone.
05:35They were not permitted to be by the bedside.
05:37And every time they were in the room, the presence of doctors and nurses was made necessary.
05:42Now, that bothered me, but I still didn't understand.
05:44Because I wasn't looking at it the way they were, I guess.
05:48The detectives were called in, and David and Patricia Stallings were taken into separate rooms for interrogation.
05:54In Patricia's words,
06:21Following the test results, the safety of the infant, Ryan, became a top priority.
06:26So, when his condition improved, he was released from the hospital.
06:29But the Stallings couple were not allowed to take him home.
06:32Instead, Ryan was placed in protective custody.
06:35A social worker come up to us and told us that they were taking custody of Ryan from us.
06:41And at that point, I became very angry.
06:44Why are you doing this to us, is what I told her.
06:48And she said, well, this is policy.
06:51When there's a suspected poison, we take children from the parents and put them in foster care.
06:58His parents were allowed to see him for one hour every Thursday.
07:02Ryan knew when we met him the first time.
07:05He was so happy to see both of us again.
07:09He just smiled, the biggest smile you could ever possibly see on a baby's face.
07:22Despite this, Patricia Stallings was granted a brief period of alone time with her son on the 6th visit, on
07:28August 31st, 1989.
07:30It was the visit when David's parents were invited for the first time.
07:33About 20 minutes later, Ryan's grandparents decided to leave.
07:37So David escorted them out and walked down the hall, leaving Patricia alone with Ryan.
07:42David was back in the room within 45 seconds at the most.
07:46However, something was not right.
07:51Ryan's health seemed to deteriorate again when he suffered from another bout of uncontrollable vomiting.
07:56Only three days after the visit, the medical team acted swiftly.
08:00And to everyone's surprise, the issue was that Ryan had been poisoned once again.
08:09Not only that, the detectives made an important discovery.
08:12They'd found antifreeze at the Stallings house.
08:15So, in the aftermath, on September 5th, 1989, when Patricia and David were getting into their car,
08:21some police officers asked them to stop.
08:24Patricia invited them into the house, but the officers told her that she wasn't allowed inside the house
08:28and immediately handcuffed her.
08:31Patricia Stallings found herself arrested on assault charges.
08:35I knew it wasn't true.
08:37I didn't care what they thought.
08:39I just thought, well, you know, I'll be home in a couple hours.
08:41This will be over with.
08:42You know, I'll get to go be with Ryan.
08:44And then the day turned into a night.
08:47And then it got really serious.
08:49I got really scared.
08:53While his mother was behind bars, Ryan was treated for ethylene glycol poisoning.
08:57But everyone knew that he was slowly dying even after being placed on life support systems.
09:03Despite the best efforts of the medical staff, his young life was on the verge of ending.
09:08So they told David to contact a minister and get him baptized.
09:12David wanted his wife, Patricia, to be there.
09:15But the judge could not let it happen.
09:17He said that, I'm not going to let a baby kill her up there.
09:21And I said, this lady did not kill this baby.
09:25On September 7th, 1989, the doctors consulted with David on whether they should turn the life
09:30support machine off.
09:31And David unwillingly agreed.
09:34I told him, go ahead and shut the machine down.
09:42But I wanted to be in there with him.
09:46So for three hours, I sat there with him in my arms.
09:54Knowing that Patty couldn't be there, watching this meter on this machine go down each time
10:03his heart would beat.
10:14At 6.30pm, one of the doctors shut off the machine to monitor his heart rate.
10:19She took him from me and said, it's all we're with.
10:25He's gone.
10:30So on September 7th, 1989, just two days after he was admitted to the hospital for the second
10:35time, Ryan succumbed to the effects of the poison.
10:39Patricia was informed about this almost three hours later, around 9pm.
10:43I went up to the phone, and it was David's voice, and he told me he died.
10:52And I started begging that he could come up and see me.
10:57And the deputy on duty said he could.
11:08A 24-year-old mother had poisoned her own son, or that was something the news channels
11:14were reporting.
11:18The gravity of the situation couldn't be ignored, and the charges against Patricia Stallings were
11:23elevated to first-degree murder, and she was held without bail.
11:29It was a much-reported case, and the severity of the crime was not about to go unnoticed.
11:34So when Patricia requested to attend her only son's funeral, she was denied that opportunity.
11:40The authorities sought to uncover the truth behind this devastating loss.
11:45While Patricia Stallings awaited trial, she discovered that she was pregnant again.
11:50Another chapter of heartache was about to unfold in front of her.
11:54In the midst of her incarceration, she gave birth to another baby boy, David Jr., on February
11:5917, 1990.
12:01He was one month premature.
12:03Tragically, he too faced a series of concerning symptoms, mirroring those that had affected
12:09his late brother, Ryan, even though he'd not been in contact with his mother after his
12:13birth.
12:15In a twist of fate, David Jr., or DJ, was diagnosed with methylmalonic acidemia, MMA, a genetic condition
12:23that produces propionic acid, a compound different from ethylene glycol by just one carbon atom.
12:30It would be very simple to confuse the diagnosis of MMA with multiple poisonings because the
12:36symptoms are very similar.
12:38But more importantly than that, MMA and other similar disorders are very rare, and the majority
12:46of doctors either will never have seen a case, or if they have seen a case, didn't know that
12:52they saw it and actually confused it.
12:56The diagnosis was a critical piece of information, shedding light on the tragic circumstances that
13:02had befallen both of Patricia's sons.
13:04David Jr. recovered from his ordeal, but David Sr. was not allowed to take his own child back
13:10home.
13:10Instead, he was placed in foster care.
13:13While the fate of baby David was being decided, on the other hand, a legal battle ensued.
13:18This new angle of her second son being diagnosed with MMA rewrote Patricia's story, and her defense
13:25team had a strong and valid argument by now.
13:27She said,
13:29Her defense attorney, Eric Rathbone, sought to introduce the theory that Ryan had died
13:33of MMA, pointing to the sibling's diagnosis as a crucial factor.
13:37But the prosecutor, George B. McElroy, disagreed, considering the diagnosis irrelevant to Ryan's
13:43death.
13:43While her defense team claimed that she was alone with Ryan for about 45 seconds on the
13:48sixth visit, the prosecution claimed that Patricia had anywhere from three to eight minutes
13:52during which she fed Ryan using a bottle.
13:55They suspected that she'd poisoned that bottled milk with antifreeze or ethylene glycol.
14:00David Stallings provided a testimony in his wife's favor, claiming to have seen the bottle.
14:05He said that Ryan was getting cranky, so he took the bottle out of the bag and started feeding
14:10him.
14:11David highlighted that there was no smell or discoloration.
14:14In his words, there was nothing done to that bottle.
14:18Absolutely nothing.
14:21One bottle, which was identified as the bottle she had fed the baby with, actually contained
14:28traces of ethylene glycol.
14:30That bottle had actually been prepared by the foster mother and retrieved from the baby bag
14:35during the visit, but the state believes and certainly circumstantial evidence suggests that
14:42she slipped ethylene glycol or antifreeze into the bottle during that feeding.
14:47Ryan was taken from the visit by the DFS worker to the foster parents' home, but later that day,
14:56or actually early the next morning, was taken to what we call respite home, temporary foster
15:03parents who kept them just for the weekend.
15:06The second set of foster parents, not knowing what the child was like, may well have overlooked
15:12symptoms that the first set would have seen."
15:15When the defense team argued that Ryan died of natural causes, the prosecutor McElroy said,
15:20"...you might as well speculate that some little man from Mars came down and shot him full
15:25of some mysterious bacteria."
15:27Soon enough, a significant breakthrough occurred in Patricia Stalling's case.
15:31Defense attorney Eric Rathbone managed to obtain copies of crucial notes written by assistant
15:36prosecutor John S. Applebaum.
15:38These notes revealed that the doctor who declared Ryan's death had indeed considered the possibility
15:42of an MMA diagnosis.
15:44However, at the time, no test had been conducted to confirm this potential medical condition.
15:49First cases in the family are often missed, and it's only when it reoccurs again that the
15:57medical practitioners are tipped off to the fact that this may well be a genetic disorder,
16:02and maybe the first child had that as well.
16:05The discovery of these notes opened up new avenues of inquiry and raised questions about
16:10the original assessment of Ryan's cause of death.
16:13Prosecutors, however, stood firm in their stance, asserting that ethylene glycol, found in
16:18Ryan's blood, and propylene glycol that's formed due to MMA, were very different from
16:23one another.
16:24They emphasized that even if Ryan had MMA, they still believed he'd been poised.
16:29The revelation of these notes prompted further scrutiny of the evidence presented and the
16:33validity of the initial conclusions drawn by the prosecution.
16:36As the trial progressed, Patricia wanted her attorney to call character witnesses to testify
16:41on her behalf, but her wishes went unheeded.
16:46The presiding judge, Gary Kramer, concurred, ruling that the theory could not be advanced
16:50without concrete evidence that Ryan had indeed been affected by MMA.
16:55Ultimately, on March 4, 1991, the court found her guilty of first-degree murder, and she received
17:01a life sentence.
17:03David passed out after hearing the verdict and was rushed to the hospital.
17:06He knew his Patty could not have hurt her own child.
17:11The spotlight on Patricia Stalling's case intensified when it was featured on the television program
17:16Unsolved Mysteries on May 8, 1991.
17:19Among the thousands of people who watched the episode, there was William Sly, a biochemist
17:24from St. Louis University.
17:26The case was puzzling, to say the least, and he wanted to help shed light on it.
17:31So, William collaborated with Dr. James Shoemaker, a skilled expert in the field, who served as
17:36the director of the Metabolic Screening Lab at the university.
17:39William and Dr. James' collaboration led to a breakthrough revelation.
17:43The analysis of Ryan's blood confirmed that he had indeed suffered from methylmalonic acidemia,
17:49MMA, a condition that had not been previously identified during the initial investigation.
17:54This discovery was critical.
17:56But even so, the allegations against Patricia stood firm.
18:00Because ethylene glycol, the toxic substance initially suspected, was not produced naturally
18:06in the human body, even in cases of MMA.
18:08So, even if Ryan suffered from the same condition as David Jr., it did not explain how his blood
18:13had ethylene glycol in it.
18:15As the case gained further attention, Dr. Shoemaker sought answers and requested information on
18:20the methods used to measure ethylene glycol in Ryan's blood.
18:23Prosecutor George McElroy agreed to provide the necessary information.
18:28What happened next completely changed what everyone thought they knew about the case.
18:33The results revealed that propionic acid, a byproduct of MMA, had caused a result that careless
18:40observers might have mistaken for ethylene glycol.
19:07Dr. Shoemaker took the investigation a step further.
19:12By sending samples of propionate-spiked blood to multiple laboratories who applied the same
19:17testing methods employed in the Stallings case.
19:20Some of these laboratories arrived at an incorrect conclusion, suggesting ethylene glycol poisoning
19:26as a cause.
19:27However, amid the confusion and conflicting findings, the collaboration and expertise of
19:31William Sly and Dr. Shoemaker continued to make strides.
19:36They sought additional support from Dr. Piero Rinaldo of Yale University, whose insights proved
19:41instrumental in shedding light on the case.
19:44Rinaldo's thorough examination led him to the conclusion that Ryan's death was not the
19:49result of ethylene glycol poisoning, but instead stemmed from MMA.
19:53With Rinaldo's testimony supporting the new understanding, a shift occurred in the perspective
19:59of Prosecutor George McElroy.
20:01The mounting evidence, combined with Rinaldo's expert analysis, raised serious doubts about the
20:07previous poisoning theory.
20:08The possibility that Ryan had not been poisoned began to gain traction, leading to a reassessment
20:14of the case.
20:15Patricia was filled with hope.
20:19Patricia Stallings' legal journey took a positive twist on July 30, 1991, when, after spending
20:25about two years behind bars, she was granted release pending a new trial.
20:29But she was not completely free yet.
20:31Patricia was placed under house arrest.
20:35As the legal battle continued, the weight of uncertainty and the toil of imprisonment
20:39took a toll on Stallings, causing her to lose a significant amount of weight.
20:44She said that during this testing period of her life, she relied on her Buddhist faith, from
20:48which she gained strength to continue fighting.
20:51On September 20, 1991, a momentous announcement brought closure to the long-fought battle for justice.
20:57George McElroy, the prosecutor, held a press conference to reveal that all charges against
21:02Patricia Stallings were being dismissed.
21:05He offered an apology to her, expressing regret for the hardship she'd endured.
21:11Finally, the case against her was dropped.
21:15Unfortunately, we can't undo the suffering that the Stallings have endured during this entire ordeal.
21:22And I apologize to them, both personally and for the state of Missouri.
21:27David Stallings said,
21:29The Stallings family was finally able to welcome David Jr. home in October 1991.
21:35I just want to make up for the year and a half that we didn't have him.
21:40And it's hard to make up that much time, but I'm doing the best I can.
21:46Despite the fear surrounding his condition,
21:49David and Patricia remained steadfast in their belief that they would help him overcome his challenges.
21:53Patricia, in particular, felt a deep sense of relief and happiness to reclaim her life after the harrowing ordeal.
22:01David and Patricia decided to take legal action against those involved in the incorrect diagnosis of their late son, Ryan.
22:07They filed lawsuits against Cardinal Glennon Hospital,
22:11St. Louis University Hospital,
22:12the doctors,
22:13and Smith-Kline Beecham Clinical Laboratories.
22:15They asserted that the hospitals had neglected to conduct additional testing even after David Jr.'s correct diagnosis of MMA.
22:23In 1992, Cardinal Glennon, St. Louis University, and the doctors opted for an out-of-court settlement to resolve the
22:29matter.
22:30The following year, they also reached a settlement agreement with Smith-Kline.
22:34As a result of these legal victories, the Stallings family received significant financial compensation.
22:40However, life's challenges were not yet over for the family.
22:45Tragedy struck again when David Jr. passed away on September 17, 2013, at the age of 23.
22:52The loss of their beloved son was undoubtedly devastating.
22:56Adding to the heartache, David Stallings passed away on April 30, 2019, after a prolonged illness.
23:03From the heartache of losing her beloved son, Ryan,
23:06to the joy of being reunited with her second child, David Jr.,
23:10Patricia's life journey was an emotional rollercoaster.
23:14There are several cases of false accusations which do not yield the same happy results as in Patricia's case.
23:21Even though she won the legal battle,
23:23those two years spent under the pressure of being labeled a baby killer could not be reversed.
23:29Although David Jr. didn't live a long life,
23:31he spent his days with his family in their care and love.
23:35Patricia could have given the same support to her first son, Ryan,
23:38but she was not even allowed to attend his funeral, let alone in his hospital room.
23:43At least Patricia's love enabled her second son to live 23 years of his life.
23:49Do you think the media's portrayal of cases like this impact public opinion?
23:53The legal system is designed to seek the truth,
23:55but how can we ensure that it remains just and fair,
23:59even in emotionally charged cases like this?
24:01Let us know your thoughts.
24:03Also, we'd love to hear from you.
24:05If you want us to cover a case, please mention it in the comment section below.
24:09Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe.
24:12Until next time, stay safe.
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