Mourners embrace as they enter a prayer vigil and balloon release on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, at Twin City Little League in Crystal City. Mourners gathered to remember 9-year-old Scarlet Parmeley and her two-year-old brother Isaac. Mother Ashley Parmeley was charged this week with the death of both children. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com
Christine Tannous, Post-Dispatch
A medical examiner works the scene where a child was found dead in a car on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, on the parking lot of the Festus Police Department. During a news conference Tuesday, Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said the children’s mother, Ashley Parmeley, 36, showed up at the Festus police headquarters and admitted to shooting and killing one of her children and drowning another.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Kymmber Evans, 9, lays a cross on a memorial to her friend and classmate Scarlet Parmeley, 9, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, at Festus police headquarters. Ashley Parmeley, Scarlet Parmeley's mother, was charged this week with the murder of her daughter and two-year-old son. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com
JEFFERSON COUNTY — A Pevely mother charged with killing her two young children on Wednesday pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
After undergoing two mental evaluations, Ashley Parmeley was found to be mentally unfit to stand trial and was committed to the Missouri Department of Mental Health by Judge Joseph Rathert.
She had been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of armed criminal action in the deaths of her children, Scarlet Parmeley, 9, and Isaac Parmeley, 2.
Scarlet Parmeley holds her younger brother Isaac Parmeley in this family photo from 2023.
Family photo
“Parmeley underwent an evaluation by an independent forensic examiner at the request of her attorney,†a press release from the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s office said. “This evaluation concluded that she was unable to comprehend the wrongfulness of her actions during the incident.â€
A second evaluation returned the same findings, the release said.
Under Missouri law, a person who is found to be incapable of knowing the nature and wrongfulness of their actions due to a mental disease or defect at the time of criminal conduct is not held responsible for those actions.
Parmeley was 36 when she walked into the Festus Police Department on the morning of May 28, 2024, and told an officer that she had just killed her two children, according to police.
Officers found Scarlet’s body in the trunk of Parmeley’s car, parked in the police station lot. Scarlet had been shot dead.
Parmeley
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
And Parmeley told officers she had attempted to “sacrifice†Isaac before drowning him at Timber Creek Resort, about 20 miles south of her home, court documents said.
She had been charged with Scarlet’s death in St. Francois County because that is where she told police she shot the girl before bringing her to the Festus Police Department.
Prosecutors later announced the charges would be consolidated into one Jefferson County case.
Scarlet’s father, Jason Daugherty, in November sued Parmeley. Two months after, a judge issued a default judgement against Parmeley for $3 million.
The 16-year-old and 17-year-old boys are being held at the St. Charles County Family Court, 51ºÚÁÏ County police said on Thursday.
Mourners embrace as they enter a prayer vigil and balloon release on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, at Twin City Little League in Crystal City. Mourners gathered to remember 9-year-old Scarlet Parmeley and her two-year-old brother Isaac. Mother Ashley Parmeley was charged this week with the death of both children. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com
A medical examiner works the scene where a child was found dead in a car on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, on the parking lot of the Festus Police Department. During a news conference Tuesday, Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said the children’s mother, Ashley Parmeley, 36, showed up at the Festus police headquarters and admitted to shooting and killing one of her children and drowning another.
Kymmber Evans, 9, lays a cross on a memorial to her friend and classmate Scarlet Parmeley, 9, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, at Festus police headquarters. Ashley Parmeley, Scarlet Parmeley's mother, was charged this week with the murder of her daughter and two-year-old son. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com