NewsMax.com Wires
Friday, Dec. 17, 2004

The Nodaway County Sheriff's Department was investigating the afternoon killing of the woman, and they were searching for the baby, who they believed could have survived. Authorities had not reported the finding of the baby late Thursday.

"Someone was wanting a baby awful bad," said Sheriff Bill Espey.

The victim was found inside her home by her mother, who called police at 3:38 p.m., authorities said. Paramedics tried to revive the woman; she was later pronounced dead at St. Francis Hospital in Maryville.

Espey said it appeared the victim was apparently killed no more than an hour before she was found.

Strangulation was being looked at as a possible cause of death; an autopsy was to be conducted by the Jackson County medical examiner.

There were no visible signs of a struggle on the victim and no indication of forced entry into her small white home, Espey said.

Espey offered piecemeal information about the victim. She was white, worked at Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing in Maryville, was married a little more than a year and was pregnant with her first child.

The sheriff confirmed her last name was Stinnett but would not give a first name.

A neighbor of the victim, Bill Dragoo, said the woman raised rat terriers.

Two rat terrier Web sites carry the name of Zeb and Bobbie Stinnett, and a listing at the couple's West Elm Street address is under Zeb's name.

The victim's husband was ruled out as a suspect, Espey said.

Espey had attempted to issue an Amber Alert for the missing fetus but was told he couldn't because he had no physical description to offer.

"I believe there is a live 8-month-old fetus out there we need to find," he said.

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