RED LAKE, Minn. — A criminal complaint filed Monday in Todd County reveals disturbing details about the abduction of a toddler Friday that briefly sparked an Amber Alert in northern Minnesota's Red Lake Tribal Nation.
Prosecutors said 36-year-old Jennifer Stately was taken into custody about three hours after 3-year-old Ethan Stately went missing from the tribal area. On Monday, she remained in the Todd County Detention Center on four felony charges, including: third-degree assault of a victim under 4; child torture; malicious punishment of a child; and child neglect resulting in substantial harm.
Court documents said Ethan was found and brought to safety around 9:30 p.m., after officers conducted a traffic stop on Stately's vehicle as she drove along Highway 71.
According to the complaint, officers located the boy in the backseat, claiming they could see scabs covering his entire body. Further, officers reported Ethan had open sores, some of them actively bleeding, covering the majority of his face and had a "very strong" body odor, "as if he had not been washed or changed in a few days."
Court documents said officers at the scene also observed that the boy's clothes were "filthy," and covered with what they said appeared to be "skin cells" and other "crumb-like material." The same material, police said, covered the boy's dirty car seat.
Police also reported that Ethan was not wearing a winter coat and the moccasins on his feet were "multiple sizes too big." Because the boy was not wearing socks, officers said they could see scabs, "a mix of old and new wounds," on his feet, and when asked to stand, authorities said he appeared to resist because of the pain.
The complaint said Ethan was transported to the hospital for further evaluation, which revealed several open sores and lesions on his face, legs, feet, arms, and on the back of his neck and ears, while an examination of his mouth showed rotting teeth, "brown and black in color with gaping holes."
According to officials, Ethan was given a snack, but could hardly chew it due to pain. Prosecutors said the boy told them his "face hurts," and later burst into tears explaining to his caregivers that his legs and feet were in pain and "itchy." Health providers reportedly treated the boy with medication for the pain and itchiness, while also treating him for anemia and potassium deficiency.
The complaint said hospital staff believed the wounds covering Ethan's body could potentially be the result of burns from either chemicals or a heat source.
Stately had her first court appearance Monday morning. Her next hearing is scheduled for April 1.
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