MELISSA STODARD (autistic) - 11 yo (12/2012)/ Convicted: Stepmother; Misty Stoddard /Charged: Father; Kenneth Stoddard - Sarasota FL

Trial to begin in Fla. death of autistic girl from Greensboro

Posted: Monday, June 16, 2014 12:45 pm
Updated 2:13 a.m. Tuesday
By Joe Gamm/News & Record

A woman, facing a murder charge in the 2012 death of her 11-year-old stepdaughter, goes on trial next week in Sarasota, Fla.

The stepdaughter, Melissa Stoddard, had been a student at McIver Education Center in Greensboro. She died about three months after moving from her mother’s home in Greensboro to Florida.

Jury selection began Monday in the trial for Misty Stoddard, 37, who faces a first-degree murder charge in Melissa’s death. Melissa’s biological father, Kenneth Stoddard, 39, is charged with aggravated child abuse in the death, according to online records. His trial is expected to be held later this year.

Melissa, who was autistic, moved into her father’s Sarasota home about three months before her death.

But Melissa frequently became agitated, and her father and stepmother would tie her to a board and put duct tape over her mouth when she had outbursts, Sarasota County deputies said.

Misty Stoddard called emergency personnel to the home on Dec. 12, 2012. She said she had found Melissa unconscious and not breathing, according to official reports. When paramedics arrived, they found marks and cuts on Melissa’s upper arms, wrists, ankles and thighs, authorities said.

Kenneth Stoddard told investigators they tied the girl up to keep her from hurting herself or her family.

Melissa died five days later.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested Kenneth Stoddard on Dec. 19, 2012. They arrested Misty Stoddard the next day, after she recovered from an attempted suicide, officials said.

Kenneth Stoddard posted $50,000 bail and was released from the Sarasota County jail on April 11, 2013, according to records.

It’s possible that Melissa’s father and stepmother didn’t understand Melissa’s behavior.

It’s likely that the move to Florida triggered Melissa’s outbursts, said Jammie North, who taught her at McIver Education Center for three years before Melissa moved.

“A child with autism, even in the most perfect circumstances, will have trouble with a transition like that,” North said. “To perceive the world like most of us do is difficult even in the best of circumstances.”

Their behaviors are often how autistic children communicate, North said.

While she was in Greensboro, Melissa was a child who “was pretty out-of-hand,” she said. But she calmed down.

“I saw success with her,” North said. “If there’s a silver lining in this, it’s that her story can be told.

“It will haunt me for the rest of my life.”

http://www.news-record.com/news/crime/article_0d4debc4-f574-11e3-9674-001a4bcf6878.html

Before Melissa Stoddard died here, abuse in North Carolina

By Gabrielle Russon
Published: Saturday, July 20, 2013 at 11:25 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, July 20, 2013 at 11:25 p.m.

SARASOTA - The stubborn little girl sometimes threw tantrums when she was annoyed by the tasks at school. She was autistic, so communicating with others could be a struggle.

But Melissa Stoddard showed promise as teachers praised her creativity and energy and realized how the 11-year-old thrived in a structured environment.

Last summer, Melissa was pulled from the North Carolina elementary school where she had been steadily improving and moved to Sarasota County to live with her father and stepmother.

Less than six months later, Melissa would be dead, the victim of what authorities called egregious abuse.

A new 180-page state report reveals more about Melissa’s troubled life and horrifying death, including the reason she likely left her mother’s home in Guilford County, N.C.

Documents from the Florida Department of Children and Families show that Melissa was sexually abused by her older sibling, so her mother decided to send her to Florida to protect her.

Public documents on child abuse cases are typically rare. The state only releases the information when the case is closed and if it has determined the child has died at the hands of abuse or neglect, said DCF spokeswoman Terri Durdaller.

Melissa died Dec. 17 from lack of oxygen to the brain after being regularly tied down and duct-taped to keep from crying out.

Her stepmother, Misty Stoddard, is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse with great bodily harm. Melissa’s biological father, Kenneth Stoddard, is also facing the same aggravated child abuse charge.

Read More: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130720/ARTICLE/130729973

i'd like to think I would have called the police on the older sibling (or sent him to GA) rather then send Melissa away - that was cruel.

Misty Stoddard found guilty of murdering autistic daughter

Posted: Friday, June 27, 2014 5:04 pm
by Scott Marcusky

ARASOTA, Fla. -- A jury has returned a verdict in the Misty Stoddard murder trial -- guilty on all counts.

It took the jury a little more than two hours to convict Stoddard of 1st Degree Murder and Aggravated Child Abuse in the death of her 11-year-old stepdaughter, Melissa.

The conviction comes after a week-long trial and comes with a mandatory life sentence after prosecutors chose not to seek the death penalty.

Prosecutors say she hog-tied Melissa to a board and duct taped her mouth, causing her to suffocate.

The girl's father, Kenneth Stoddard, will go to trial in August.

http://www.mysuncoast.com/news/local/misty-stoddard-found-guilty-of-murdering-autistic-daughter/article_a17faf44-fe3e-11e3-9ad1-0017a43b2370.html