Boy, 9, found dead in bathtub was breathing when she put him there, aunt says

By John Beauge | Special to PennLive

LOCK HAVEN -- The suspect in the death of a 9-year-old Lock Haven boy claims he was breathing but unresponsive when she placed him in a bathtub where he was found dead two days later.

That was what Jamie Lynne Jackson, 36, told investigators when questioned about the death of Anson Landon Mitchell Stover, arrest documents state.

She was arraigned Thursday on criminal homicide and related charges and jailed without bail.

Jackson claims when she found Stover he was naked with a plastic tape around his neck and fluid coming from his mouth.

The arrest affidavit gives this account of Jackson’s version of what she then did:

She clothed him and placed him the bathtub of her home in the 600 block of East Bald Eagle Street.

She checked on him periodically, told him to “stop faking it,” but he never responded or moved.

She cleaned his room, shampooed carpets, disposed of the tape she claimed was around his neck, laundered his clothes, showered, slept, ate and cared for the other children who lived there.

At one point she went into the bathroom and asked Stover if he wanted some pizza but he did not respond.

Monday morning she realized Stover probably was not OK because when she touched his face it was cold and hard.

Jackson told police she had been having long-term problems with Stover including his frequent urination and defecation in various areas of the unit.

She expressed a great deal of frustration over Stover’s behavior, investigators said, claiming he was reason she and her two children were not living with her partner in Elkland.

It was Jackson’s father, Hugh Jackson, who contacted police about 3 p.m. Monday as he was traveling from New York, where he lives, to Lock Haven.

He related he had not spoken to his daughter in three years but had gotten a call from her stating something terrible had happened and she needed his help.

Hugh Jackson told police his daughter was hysterical, it was difficult getting information from her and said if police showed up she would kill herself.

He commented he did not want to betray his daughter but knew contacting authorities was the right thing to do, the affidavit states.

Jackson called a second time and agreed to meet an officer at his daughter’s residence. That officer reported father and daughter were hugging at the door when he arrived.

The officer went inside and found Stover dead in the bathtub with visible injuries to his head and neck area, the charges state.

An autopsy Wednesday revealed bleeding on the brain, blood in spinal fluid and visible injury to the optic nerve in both eyes consistent with significant trauma.

He had injuries to the anus and pubic areas, marks believed caused by cigarette burns and abrasions to the head, neck, chest, torso, legs, feet, arms, hands and back, the autopsy showed.

Jackson was unable to explain those injuries when questioned before being taken into custody Wednesday night, police said.

Besides the homicide count, she is charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, tampering with evidence, abuse of corpse and concealing the death of a child.

Stover was one of the children adopted by Jackson when her sister, their biological mother, died approximately three years ago, Hugh Jackson told investigators.

City police will not comment on the case and Clinton County District Attorney David A. Strouse declined to answer questions, saying it was an ongoing investigation.