How Could You? Hall of Shame-Anson Stover case-Child Death

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, aunt and adoptive parent Jamie Lynn Jackson, 36, “has been charged with criminal homicide in the [November 30, 2020 ] death [of Anson Stover]. She  has been “accused of beating and abusing the boy and then leaving him to die in a bathtub for 48 hours remains in the Clinton County Correctional Facility.

Jackson was scheduled for a first appearance in Clinton County Court on Tuesday, but the hearing was continued at the request of Jackson’s public defender attorney, Patrick Johnson. No new date has been scheduled as of yet.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the boy’s death continues by Lock Haven City Police and Clinton County District Attorney David Strouse.

An autopsy revealed Anson suffered multiple injuries to the head, neck, torso, arms, legs and pelvic area, all in various stages of healing. He also had several marks on his body consistent with cigarette burns and abrasions of the skin behind the ears and injuries to his buttocks and groin, according to the autopsy.

There was “significant amount of bleeding on the brain and also visible injury to the optic nerve of both eyes consistent with significant head trauma … and he had what appeared to be blood in his spinal cord,” the autopsy report stated.

City police discovered Anson’s body in a second floor bath tub at Jackson’s residence at 657 E. Bald Eagle St. on Nov. 30. Jackson adopted Anson and three of his siblings after the death of their biological mother, police said.

According to the arrest affadavit:

Jackson told police she discovered Anson in his bedroom on the evening of Nov. 28 and that he had clear plastic tape around his neck area while laying naked on the floor. She said she cut the tape from his neck and Anson was unresponsive but breathing and had fluid coming from his mouth. She said she dressed him and carried him to the bathroom and put him in the bathtub.

She said she checked on him periodically and he never responded or moved. On Nov. 30, two days after she put him in the bathtub, she said she realized he was not okay, that she touched his face and it was cold and hard. That’s when she called her her father, who then called police.

Jackson, who told police she didn’t know how Anson suffered the injuries, was arraigned on charges of criminal homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, abuse of a corpse and concealing the death of a child. She was denied bail.

The other children living with Jackson are now being cared for by their grandmother.

As the investigation is ongoing, police are asking that anyone with information about the case contact City Police at 570-893-5911, the Clinton County Detective’s office at 570-983-4141 or provide information online at www.clintonDA.org.”

Hearing continued for woman charged in boy’s death

[Lock Haven.com 12/10/2020 by Lana Muthler]

“Jamie Lynne Jackson, 36, charged with criminal homicide in the death of her 9-year-old nephew, was bound over on all charges by District Judge Keith Kibler following a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon [1/21/21] at the Clinton County Courthouse.

Jackson is also charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, abuse of a corpse and concealing the death of a child. She is scheduled for arraignment on Feb. 22.

The ruling came down after a two-hour hearing in which District Attorney David Strouse detailed the allegations that Jackson beat Anson Landon Mitchell Stover “from head to toe,” and then concealed evidence to cover up what she had done.

Lock Haven City Police Detective Richard Simpson described the dozens of bruises and other injuries that were uncovered on Anson’s badly beaten body during an autopsy.

“It was the worst badly beaten body I have ever seen. There is not any part of his body that doesn’t have an injury,” Simpson said. “He had a black eye, cut lip, gash on the chin, bruises on his face and head. His legs were covered with abrasions, bruises and open wounds. There were circular injuries that looked like cigarette burns.”

The preliminary autopsy report listed the cause of death as either multiple blunt force injuries or blunt force injuries to the head. Simpson said more lab tests are being done to determine the extent of head injuries, which caused swelling and bleeding of the brain.

Lock Haven Police Officer Andrew Fisher testified that he discovered the boy’s body in a second-floor bath tub on Nov. 30 at Jackson’s residence on East Bald Eagle Street.

He said Jackson’s father called police after receiving a frantic call from his daughter, who told him “something terrible had happened and she needed his help.”

The father, who lives in New York, told Fisher he had not spoken to his daughter in three years until that day and was driving to Lock Haven. He also told Fisher that his daughter said she would kill herself if the police were called.

Fisher said he would meet the defendant’s father, Hugh Jackson, at Jamie’s home and when he and fellow Lock Haven Police Officer Gage Fischer approached the residence they found father and daughter in the doorway hugging.

Jamie Jackson adopted Anson and his three sisters three years ago after their biological mother, who was Jamie’s sister, passed away. Jamie also has two daughters and she and the six children lived in the East Bald Eagle Street apartment.

Officer Fisher said Jamie became hysterical when she saw police enter the home, and Hugh Jackson told him, “Anson is gone.”

The officers said they found Anson deceased in the bath tub in the second-floor bathroom. The tub was dry and he was fully clothed, they said. They said his hands were purple and he had bruising on his face, head and neck area and there was liquid coming from his mouth and nose.

Knowing the seriousness of the situation, Officer Fisher said he immediately called Detective Simpson to the scene. Jamie Jackson was advised of her Constitutional rights and transported to City Hall for an interview, Simpson said.

Detective Simpson said Jamie told him Anson was a “self-destructive” boy who ruined things, destroyed toys and deliberately urinated on the floor.

“She told me one of her daughters told her she saw Anson in his room with tape around his neck. She said she used scissors to cut it off and he was still breathing. She said he was naked in his bedroom on the floor. She said she thought he was just faking, so she dressed him and put him in the bath tub. She told me he never moved, he never got out of the tub, and that he was faking it,” Simpson said.

He said Jamie told him she checked on him several times over the next two days and Anson never responded.

She told Simpson she thought Anson was faking and that she never saw any injuries on the boy that she felt were life threatening. She also told Simpson she never called 911 or police about Anson.

Asked about Anson’s body weight at the time of his death, Simpson said he weighed 54 pounds on the day of the autopsy. At a doctor’s visit in March 2020, Anson weighed 71 pounds.

Strouse also asked Simpson about contents found in a dumpster behind Jamie’s residence.

Simpson said they found empty beer cans, empty Clorox bottles, cleaning supplies like rags and prescription pill bottles with Jamie Jackson’s name on them. Also, a pair of jeans, a tank top and sports bra, Simpson continued, adding that during a search of the home police found jeans in the same size in Jamie’s bedroom.

Simpson also testified that one of Anson’s sisters had what appeared to be a cigarette burn on her thigh.

During a second interview, Simpson said Jamie told him Anson “did all the injuries to himself.”

After the prosecution rested its case, public defender Patrick Johnson, who is representing Jamie, asked that some of the charges against his client be dismissed.

“There is no significant evidence that my client committed any of those injuries,” Johnson said.

Strouse agreed that there was no confession or specific evidence that the defendant committed the crime, but that he offered enough circumstantial testimony to move this case forward on all counts.

“First she threatened to kill herself if police came, acted hysterical when they did, formulated a story that Anson did it to himself, that he was faking,” Stouse said. “She completely glossed over the reality of the situation … She said she saw no injuries … His entire body was covered with injuries from head to toe. … She attempted to cover up what she had done … to cover up a murder.”

Lock Haven woman heads to court over death of boy, 9

[Sun Gazette 1/22/21 by Lana Muthler]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update:“The woman accused of abusing her 9-year-old nephew and leaving him for dead in a bathtub was pronounced dead Sunday afternoon.[November 14, 2021]

Jamie Lynn Jackson, 36, … was pronounced dead at Lock Haven Hospital at 12:48 p.m. Sunday following a medical emergency, according to Crimewatch.

The announcement from a joint statement between District Attorney Dave Strouse, Coroner Zach Hanna and the Pennsylvania State Police.

Jackson was in custody at the Clinton County Correctional Facility in McElhattan awaiting her upcoming murder trial in spring 2022 for the death of her nephew, Anson Stover.

According to the release, Jackson “experienced a medical emergency at the correctional facility and was taken to Lock Haven Hospital by ambulance.”

A full autopsy will be completed today to determine Jackson’s manner of death.

“In regards to the death investigation of Ms. Jamie Jackson, who died at UPMC Lock Haven Hospital on Nov.14, 2021, the autopsy examination procedure is scheduled to be performed on Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at Mt. Nittany Medical Center, State College, Pa. Ms. Jackson’s cause and manner of death will remain pending until full autopsy results are available,” a release from Hanna said.

The original release on Sunday noted that no other individuals were involved in the death.

Nearly a year ago, Jackson was arrested and charged with homicide in the death of her 9-year-old Stover.

Stover’s beaten and battered body was discovered in a bathtub in the second floor bathroom of Jackson’s home on Nov. 30, 2020 by Lock Haven City Police.

Following two interviews on Nov. 30 and Dec. 2, Jackson was arrested and charged with Felony 1 counts of criminal homicide and two counts aggravated assault; Felony 2 count of endangering the welfare of children and misdemeanor counts of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, abuse of corpse and concealing death of a child by Detective Richard Simpson.

In January, Jackson pleaded not guilty to the charges and was expected to go to trial in March of 2022.”

Jackson dead: Autopsy today to determine cause of death
[The Express 11/16/21 by Laura Jameson]