Oregon mom accused in river drowning of 4 yo boy, 7 yo girl expected to live

[MuffyBee]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090524/ap_on_re_us/us_oregon_dead_child
Oregon mom accused in river drowning of 4-year-old

Oregon mom accused in river drowning of 4-year-old

By MARY HUDETZ, Associated Press Writer Mary Hudetz, Associated Press Writer – 6 mins ago
PORTLAND, Ore. – An Oregon mother was arrested Saturday in the drowning of her 4-year-old son after the boy and his 7-year-old sister ended up in the chilly Williamette River.

Residents heard screams on the Sellwood Bridge near Portland and called authorities. Some jumped into boats to help search in the early morning darkness. After about an hour, a couple found the children downstream.

The boy, Eldon Jay Rebhan Smith, could not be revived; the girl was in a hospital and expected to survive.

"She's doing well," said Detective Sgt. Rich Austria of the Portland Police Bureau. "She has the will to live."

Austria said it was not immediately clear whether the children were pushed or fell into the river. They have not yet questioned the girl.

Police said the mother, Amanda Jo Stott-Smith, was taken into the custody at a downtown parking garage several hours after her children were found. Stott-Smith, 31, threatened to jump off the garage's ninth floor in before she was arrested, Austria said.

Stott-Smith faces aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder charges, Austria said.
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[Nut44x4]

In a re-cap of Portland's 2009 homocides....

One of the most disturbing cases was the death of 4-year-old Eldon Jay Rebhan Smith. His drowning and the attempted drowning of his 7-year-old sister not only traumatized the families involved, but also the people who heard the cries of the children thrown off the Sellwood Bridge and the citizens and law enforcement officers who tried to rescue them.

At Eldon's memorial service May 31, Jason Smith leaned over the open wooden casket of the 4-year-old boy as if he were tucking his son into bed for the last time. After placing Eldon's Batman outfit beside him, Smith knelt next to him, shaking his head as he caressed his son's hair.

Pastor Steven Overman was succinct: "It was overwhelmingly horrific. There are things beyond our ability to comprehend."

"I'll spend every day of the rest of my life missing him and doing whatever I can to keep Eldon's memory alive," his father said. "I'm blessed that I have my miracle girl here."

Amanda Jo Stott-Smith remains in custody, accused of drowning Eldon and the attempted drowning of her daughter, in an act of revenge during her weekend visitation with the children, who lived with their dad. "Ms. Stott-Smith told us she purposefully dropped both children off the Sellwood Bridge into the Willamette River," a Portland detective wrote in a search warrant last fall for the mother's cell phone records.

"Cases like that remind us that women, as well as men, are capable of using violence like that," said Neil Websdale, director of the federally funded National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative and a criminal justice professor at Northern Arizona University.

Familicide

In Stott-Smith's case, there had been a history of domestic violence. Her family had raised concerns in court the previous summer about her ability to care for her children because of alcohol abuse. Temporary custody of the children had been awarded to the father.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/portlands_2009_homicides_drop.html

[Nut44x4]

Mother who threw children from bridge pleads guilty to murder
Amada Jo Stott-Smith changes her plea in circuit court

The Portland Tribune, Apr 13, 2010, Updated 1.1 hours ago

Amada Jo Stott-Smith, the Milwaukie woman accused of throwing her two children off the Sellwood Bridge in May 2009, pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

Stott-Smith, 32, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder charges in connection with the death of her 4-year-old son, Elson Jay Rebhan Smith, and the attempted drowning of her 7-year-old daughter.

In May 2009, Stott-Smith pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder. She was accused of throwing both children off the Sellwood Bridge into the cold Willamette River at about 1 a.m. May 23.

At the time, Stott-Smith was in a dispute with her husband, who was supposed to pick up the children at 5 p.m. May 24.

According to Portland Police, at about 1:20 a.m. people along the Willamette River began hearing screams near the Sellwood Bridge. Police responded after several 9-1-1 calls, but they could not find where the screams were coming from.

A man and woman living in a houseboat were able to find the children around 2:10 a.m. and pulled them to shore. The boy was already dead and the girl was rushed to a hospital.

Portland police homicide detectives were assigned to the investigation. They were contacted by the Tualatin Police Department about a missing person case possibly involving Eldon and his sister. Detectives then received a phone call from someone saying he thought the children found in the river might be his relatives. Detectives were able to confirm the identity of the children based on information provided by family members.

http://www.oregoncitynewsonline.com/news/story.php?story_id=127118931685188400

[Nut44x4]

Mom Serving Life Sentence for Aggravated Murder
4.22.10

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The mom guilty of throwing her son and daughter off a bridge will serve a life sentence for the crime.

Amanda Jo Stott-Smith pleaded guilty to forcing her two children off the Sellwood bridge in Portland last spring.

In court Thursday, Stott-Smith said she was deeply sorry for her actions.   She changed her plea to guilty last week and Thursday was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 35 years.

She was found guilty in eight counts of aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder for the death of her 4-year-old son and the near drowning of her 7-year-old daughter.

http://kezi.com/news/local/171089