Parents Charged for the Death of Their 4-Year-Old Plead Not Guilty
Benton County Dispatch was notified just before 1 a.m. on December 20 in regards to a 4-year-old female who was deceased. The father, 28-year-old James Mast, of a rural Cole Camp residence, stated that his daughter had been beaten, submerged in a pond, then left to freeze on the bank before being taken back into the residence. The mother of the deceased, 29-year-old Mary S. Mast, and a 2-year-old male child also was beaten to a severe extent. Mary and the toddler were transported by ambulance to Bothwell Regional Hospital in Sedalia for treatment.
After an investigation by Benton County Deputies, 35-year-old Ethan Joel Mast and 21-year-old Kourtney Aumen, both of Lincoln, were taken into custody and charged with the murder of 4-year-old Jessica Mast.
Each of those defendants pleaded not guilty to a Class A Felony for Murder in the Second Degree; three counts of a Class A Felony for Assault in the First Degree- Serious Physical Injury; and a Class C Felony for Sexual Abuse in the First Degree during their initial appearance in court on December 21. Each defendant is due for another hearing at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, January 5, 2021, at Benton County Circuit Court.
