Mother of Utah boy whose body was found in canyon may also be charged with murder

Mother of slain Utah boy may face murder charge

FARMINGTON, Utah — Prosecutors in Utah said Friday they may file murder charges against the mother of a 4-year-old boy whose body was found in a canyon earlier this week.

Searchers dug up Ethan Stacy’s badly beaten and disfigured body Tuesday, about 10 days after he arrived in Utah for a summer visit with his mother, Stephanie Sloop, 27.

Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings said Sloop and her husband, Nathanael Sloop, 31, will likely be charged with aggravated murder in the boy’s death. Before Friday, the possibility of murder charges had only been discussed for Nathanael Sloop.

“We’re looking at aggravated murder — both defendants are suspects at this point,” Rawlings said.

Police said Stephanie Sloop initially told officers her son had wandered away from her Layton apartment.

But probable cause statements said Nathanael Sloop acknowledged beating the boy for days before his death on Sunday and Stephanie Sloop did nothing to stop it. After the boy died, Nathanael Stoop used a hammer to disfigure the boy’s face and teeth to keep him from being identified, then buried the body in a canyon, according to the documents.

The Sloops may also be charged with felony child abuse, obstruction of justice and desecration of a corpse, Rawlings said.

At a court hearing Friday, both separately agreed to waive their right to be bailed out of jail until at least their next court appearance on May 28.

Nathanael Sloop kept his head low and wept softly during his court appearance. Stephanie Sloop appeared withdrawn and showed no visible emotion during the twin hearings that together lasted less than 15 minutes.

Earlier, Nathanael Sloop’s court-appointed attorney, Todd Utzinger, would not discuss specifics of the case or possible charges. He said he met with both Sloops Friday morning at the Davis County Jail and advised them to stop talking to detectives.

Attorney Julie George, who was appointed to represent Stephanie Sloop, said her client “is very emotional and having a difficult time.”

Prosecutors are waiting to file charges because there is the potential for the death penalty.

“We’re not going to file charges before all of our ducks are in a row and we’re ready to go, but we intend to get there,” Rawlings said.

The 2nd District Court hearing in Farmington drew about two dozen members of the advocacy group Bikers Against Child Abuse and many other people unconnected to the case.

“That boy didn’t get mercy. They shouldn’t get mercy,” said August Teuscher, 32, a mother of four from Clinton, who stood in the courthouse holding a hand-drawn sign condemning the Sloops. “They should be tortured.”

Public defenders for the Sloops said the couple had received hundreds of requests for visits from reporters and strangers while in jail. Judge David M. Connors signed an order prohibiting anyone from trying to visit the Sloops.

Utah State Courts records show that between 2000 and 2003, Nathanael Sloop had several convictions, including for criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and drug possession. No criminal history was found for Stephanie Sloop.

Ethan’s biological father, Joe G. Stacy of Tazewell, Va., agreed to share custody of the boy on April 28 so he would spend the school year with his father and summers with his mother.