Ashley Parmeley, who had been charged with murdering her two children last year, was found not guilty by reason of insanity today, Aug. 13, and will be committed to the Department of Mental Health.
The 38-year-old Pevely mother was facing two counts of first-degree murder and one count of armed criminal action for the May 2024 deaths of her daughter, Scarlet Parmeley-Daugherty, 9, and son, Isaac Baum, 2.
If the case had gone to trial and Parmeley was found guilty, she could have been sentenced to either death or life imprisonment without eligibility for probation for each of the murder charges and between three and 15 years in prison for the armed criminal action charge.
Today, however, Jefferson County Div. 1 Circuit Judge Joseph Rathert accepted her plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and ordered her to be committed to the Department of Mental Health, Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Trisha Stefanski announced.
Stefanski said there is no set term for her commitment to a mental health facility, adding that Parmeley could apply for conditional release in the future and then a judge would rule on her request.
“The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office extends its deepest sympathies to the family and to all first responders involved in this tragic event,” Stefanski said in a written statement today.
In February, Parmeley’s attorney, Patrick Austermann, declared Parmeley’s intent to plead not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, according to court records.
“This was an unimaginable tragedy and because of that fact, this plea was the only right and just result,” Austermann said in an email. “Ms. Parmeley is thankful to the law enforcement who responded, the medical personnel who treated and diagnosed her, and thankful that the state and the court accepted and approved this outcome, which allows everyone involved to avoid further trauma and hopefully begin the slow healing process.”
State law requires a person pleading not guilty due to mental disease or defect to be examined by private psychiatrists or psychologists who are neither employees nor contractors of the Missouri Department of Mental Health.
In her statement, Stefanski said Parmeley underwent an evaluation by an independent forensic examiner, and the evaluation concluded that she was unable to comprehend the wrongfulness of her actions during the incident.
Assistant prosecuting attorney Courtney Goodwin then sought a second opinion from the Department of Mental Health, which yielded the same conclusion as the independent forensic examiner, Stefanski said in the statement.
According to state law, a person found to be incapable of knowing the nature and wrongfulness of his or her actions due to a mental disease or defect at the time of criminal conduct is not held responsible for those actions.
“This was an unimaginable tragedy,” Austermann said. “It is very difficult for many to believe that a sudden mental health crisis could affect such a loving, caring mother in this way, seemingly out of nowhere, but that is exactly what happened.
“There is complete consensus that, at the time of this incident, Ashley was responding to delusions and hallucinations that caused her to believe that what she was doing was protecting and saving her beloved children. It was never her intention to hurt them. The medication Ashley now takes provides her with a great deal of clarity, but that clarity means that Ashley will have to live the rest of her life knowing what happened and feeling responsible, despite multiple doctors agreeing that this was not her fault.”
On May 28, Parmeley, who also had lived in Festus, drove to the Festus Police Station, 100 Park Ave., and told officers she killed her children, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
Officers found Scarlet Parmeley-Daugherty’s body in the trunk of the Mazda SUV that Parmeley drove to the Police Station. Scarlet had a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene, the report said.
Sheriff’s Office deputies found her son, Isaac Baum, in a fountain near the entrance of the Timber Creek Resort, 4800 Hwy. 67, south of Olympian Village. A deputy dove into the water to retrieve the boy. Isaac was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the report.
Parmeley allegedly told investigators she shot Scarlet in the 9000 block of Hwy. E near Bonne Terre, which is in St. Francois County. She also said before shooting Scarlet she tried to “sacrifice” Isaac in St. Francois County, but he was alive when she drove into Jefferson County, where she drowned him at the resort, police reported.
Parmeley had been charged for Scarlet’s death in St. Francois County, but prosecutors consolidated the case with the one in Jefferson County.
Scarlet’s father, Jason Daugherty of De Soto, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in November against Parmeley. On Dec. 30, Jefferson County Div. 3 Circuit Judge Travis Partney awarded Daugherty $3 million in a default judgment after Parmeley failed to appear at a Dec. 19 hearing or file a responsive pleading, court records show.
Daugherty is not Baum’s father.
“There can be no silver lining in a situation like this,” Austermann said. “We can only hope that in the future, there will be greater community recognition regarding the realities of mental illness.
“There were signs in the days preceding the incident as to what Ashley was suffering, but the loved ones surrounding her, through no fault of theirs, could not recognize the symptoms and did not know where to turn for help. While many more services are still needed, there are now more community-based resources for mental health support than ever before. “
If you or someone you know has suicidal or homicidal thoughts, resources are available to help.
Behavioral Health Response has a crisis line at 314-469-6644. People may also reach out to Compass Health Network from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at 1-888-237-4567.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 988. A crisis text line is available by texting HOME to 741741.
Resources also are available at 988lifeline.org.
Compass Health also has a 24-hour Behavior Health Crisis Center, 222 N. Mill St., in Festus that accepts walk-in patients who are 18 years old and older. The center may be called at 833-356-2427.