EMJAY CORN - 18 Months - Joplin MO

JOPLIN, Mo. —
A Joplin man is accused of leaving his girlfriend’s 18-month-old son
home alone in a crib while he kept an appointment at a methadone clinic.

Police say the toddler, Emjay Corn, died sometime Saturday morning at his home at 1322 S. Pennsylvania Ave.

The cause and manner of the boy’s death remain under investigation,
with an autopsy conducted Monday afternoon in Columbia. The Joplin
Police Department did not release the name of the child until
notification of family was completed on Monday.

Eric J. Hicks, 28, boyfriend of the child’s mother, Nichole Hall, 32,
was arrested about 3 p.m. Saturday and charged with felony child
endangerment. Police Cpl. Chuck Niess said Hicks, who is not the boy’s
father, is accused of leaving him alone in a crib in the house.

“Apparently, he went to a medical appointment, and left him there and then came back,” Niess said.

Niess said the boy’s mother was not at home Saturday morning. He said
he could not divulge where she was at the time because of health
information privacy laws. She is not charged with any offense, he said.

A probable-cause affidavit filed in Jasper County Circuit Court alleges
that Hicks left the house to seek treatment at a methadone clinic.
Methadone is a drug used in the treatment of certain drug addictions.
The affidavit states that Hicks told police he was gone about an hour.

Niess said the medical condition of the child upon the boyfriend’s
return remains under investigation. He declined to comment on whether
the boy was alive when Hicks got back. He said investigators have yet to
ascertain the time and circumstances of the death.

“That’s what we’re doing an autopsy for,” he said.

The case has not been determined to be a homicide, Niess said.
Accidental or medical reasons for the death remain possible, he said.

Police officers went to the home at 10:45 a.m. Niess said he did not
know what prompted officers to go there. The dispatch log for the day on
the Police Department’s website does not show a call to the address.

Niess said emergency medical technicians arrived after police officers.
But the child already had died by the time officers arrived, he said.
He said no other children lived in the home.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x1415465705/Police-Toddler-found-dead-had-been-left-at-home-alone

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Toddler's Death In Joplin Ruled Homicide:


Emjay Corn and his mother Nichole Hall (courtesy POC)
The October 29th death of an 18 month-old Joplin toddler has been ruled a homicide.

Lt. Brian Lewis says preliminary autopsy results reveal that little Emjay Braxton Corn died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Eric J. Hicks, 28, the boyfriend of Emjay's mother, Nichole Hall, 32, called authorities after he found the little boy dead in his crib after leaving him home alone for about an hour while he went to a methadone clinic.

Nichole Hall was in a mental hospital at the time of her son's death. Authorities were called to the home she shared with Hicks at 1322 Pennsylvania Ave. on the evening of October 27th after Hall threatened to kill herself and everyone in the house, according to sources close to the case.

When asked if Emjay's injuries could have been caused by Hall prior to her hospitalization, or if the boy could have been dead for several hours or up to a day before Hicks's timeline- Lewis said, "We're waiting on a forensic pathologist to establish a timeline in the case."

Authorities have been called back out to the Pennsylvania Avenue house at least twice after Hall was released from the hospital. "On November 3rd an officer was requested to call the home and on November 4th there was a follow up," said Lewis.

Eric J. Hicks has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child
Hall was re-admitted to the mental hospital last week.

Hicks has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and was released from jail after posting $10,000 bond.

No charges have been filed against anyone at this time in connection to Emjay's murder.

http://crimesceneinvestigations.blogspot.com/2011/11/toddlers-death-in-joplin-ruled-homicide.html

March 9, 2012
Eric Hicks charged with murder in toddler’s death

JOPLIN, Mo. — The Jasper County prosecutor filed a murder charge today against Eric Hicks in the death of 18-month-old Emjay Corn of Joplin.

Joplin police detectives arrested Hicks, 28, about 2:15 p.m. at his home at 1322 S. Pennsylvania Ave. on the charge of second-degree murder. He is currently being held at the Joplin City Jail on $50,000 bond.

Hicks is accused of causing blunt-force trauma to the boy’s head on Oct. 28. According to a probable-cause affidavit filed today in Jasper County Circuit Court, police were called to the residence of Hicks and the child’s mother, Nichole Hall, 32, on Oct. 27 and took Hall into custody for a mental-health evaluation. The boy was left in the care of Hicks, the mother’s fiancé.

Police were called to the residence again Oct. 29 and found the boy deceased in his crib. The affidavit states that the toddler was fully clothed and that a detective observed bruises on the child’s face.

A medical examiner later determined that the boy died from blunt-force trauma to his head. According to the affidavit, the autopsy report states that the injury the child received would have left him in a comatose state prior to death. The affidavit alleges that Hicks was the only person to have contact with the child since he was last seen alive.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x426435784/Eric-Hicks-charged-with-murder-in-toddler-s-death