Stacie Brown is due in Starke Circuit Court today for an initial hearing on charges brought against her in the death of her three-year-old stepson, Ethan Brown. Stacie Brown was arrested on Friday, August 5th and Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff filed official charges against her that include Battery Resulting in Death and Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death, both Class A Felonies.
Ethan Brown died June 19th in Memorial Hospital in South Bend from what a forensic pathologist determined to be a skull fracture that extended from the back of his skull to the top of his forehead. There was also evidence of a large amount of bleeding to his brain. Pathologist Dr. Joseph Prhlow told police investigators that it was his opinion that Ethan died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head.
Stacie Brown has reportedly admitted to the police that she got angry with the boy when he started fighting with her 18-month-old daughter and she shoved him to the floor. Her husband, Trampes, was at work at the time of the incident. The child was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital the following day and was then transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend where he was pronounced dead.
Stacie Brown has been held in the Starke County Jail under $250,000 bond.
