Historical crime sometimes brings some incredulous stories about justice gone wrong, and Patricia Stallings is a prime example of that. True crime followers love seeing a guilty person convicted, but there’s a sense of outrage when the innocent end up behind bars. Read on for more.
The Baby Boy Got Sick
In the late 1980s, Patricia was a mom who adored her baby boy, Ryan. So, when he started throwing up and it just wouldn’t stop, she naturally rushed her four-month-old boy to a hospital. Getting lost on thge way, she ended up at a hospital she hadn’t intended to go to. Clearly in a bad way, the sweet child could hardly breathe. That happened in 1989, per Unsolved Mysteries.
Little did she know, that very soon, she’d become the center of a murder trial. While baby Ryan survived initially, he later died. In the hospital, when the doctors tested toxicology, they discovered scary levels of ethylene glycol poisoning. In other words, they suspected he ingested antifreeze.
Placed In A Foster Home
The child was removed from the care of Patricia Stallings, and placed into foster care. However, she visited with her son. And, that landed her in prison. After one supervised visit, little Ryan fell ill again, but this time, after being violently ill, he died.
Suspicion heightened because she had a child out of wedlock as a young person and the baby was taken into the home of a relative as she couldn’t afford proper care for the kid. That baby had been described as malnourished
The story, which made its way into an episode of Forensic Files, Season 3 showed that the police investigated the death of Ryan as a murder. And Bingo! In the basement of the Stallings’ house, they discovered a container with antifreeze in it.
Charged With Murder
The evidence seemed overwhelming. Blood tests, a death from what looked like poisoning, and illness in the presence of the mom. So, prosecutors went to town and thought they had their cat firmly fixed in the bag.
True crime fans can only imagine how things must have been for Patricia Stallings. Behind bars, labeled a murderer when in fact, she really wasn’t one. Found guilty by the jury, she lived with an awful future. Apart from grieving for her baby, she faced a long life sentence without any possibility of parole. Her conviction came in 1991.
Pregnant Prisoner
During her incarceration pre-trial, it turned out that Patricia Stallings was pregnant with another child. However, when she gave birth to DJ, it wasn’t a happy event. Immediately, authorities seized the baby and took it away. Some reports suggest that DJ survived into his early 20s.
However, a twist in fate lay ahead because baby DJ suddenly got the same symptoms as the sibling who had passed away. This time, when doctors tested, they found Methylmalonic Acidemia (MMA). Per NoRare, it’s a very rare genetic disorder. Unable to process some types of protein, acid builds up in the blood.
A New Approach
Scientists took a new approach and used better testing tech to see if it really was antifreeze that killed Ryan. Well, it turned out that the original lab findings were worse than useless. Reportedly, the chemical composition they thought was antifreeze was a natural by-product of Ryan’s undiagnosed illness.
The episode on Forensic Files explained that the two chemical charts looked almost the same. But, the lab techs never lined them up right. If they had, they’d have seen “a 33-second difference in retention times,” but they missed that.
What Happened Next?
Of course, without any proof that Patricia murdered her child, the prosecution had no alternative but to reverse the charges. And the governor of the day pardoned her completely.
So, Patricia finally walked away from the nightmare of prison for a crime she didn’t commit. And even worse, it seemed that doctors who misdiagnosed Ryan actually helped his death in a way. That’s because their treatment made it worse.
Shattered Family Life & Compensation
Later, Patricia sued the hospital and labs and got a settlement paid out. But it would never bring back her baby. And, she and her husband, David ended their marriage.
After her release from prison, there’s no record that Patricia Stallings became a motivational speaker, or any record of her authoring a book. So, it seems she preferred staying out of the spotlight.
Viewers React
This week, the story popped up on Instagram again on the account of @oddlyhorrifying. One person wrote, “What a horrible tragedy for this woman. Losing her freedom for a crime she didn’t commit. And losing both of her children..”
Here are a few more responses from the discussion:
- Mimics antifreeze poisoning?? Is this a real thing.
- This is why I don’t like the death penalty, too many innocent people in prison!
- I remember this travesty of justice and medicine.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below and remember to come back for all your interesting, mystrious, and historical crime stories.
The post Patricia Stallings: How A Toxic Lab Error Tore A Grieving Family Apart first appeared on Celeb Baby Laundry.
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