TUPELO – A Lee County man is being held on a million dollar bond on charges he killed his girlfriend’s 2-year old son. Andrew D. Owens, 32, of Shannon, was arrested on July 12 after an investigation into the death of Kamari Stobey.
Lee County authorities said on July 2, Owens was watching his two children and Kamari at a residence in the 400 block of County Road 300. Around 11:30 a.m., deputies responded to a call that a 2-year old child was “unresponsive.”
When deputies arrived, paramedics were trying to revive Kamari and he was later transported to North Mississippi Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Kamari’s mother, Monica Shumpert, and Owens had reportedly been dating for several months and Shumpert told WTVA she left Kamari with Owens.
“I know he was the only one there,” Shumpert told WTVA. “He [Owens] told me he took Kamari to the bathroom a couple times. When he [Owens] brought him back and sat him down on the couch, he [Owens] noticed Kamari was dozing off as if he was having a seizure or something…he was gasping for air and couldn’t breath.”
Lee County Coroner Carolyn Green sent Kamari’s body to the state crime lab for an autopsy where it was determined he died of blunt force trauma to the abdomen.
Investigators said Owens was the primary caregiver at the home at the time Kamari received those fatal injuries and he was subsequently charged with depraved heart murder.
“What did my child do to deserve this,” Shumpert said to WTVA. “I know he is only two years old, he could not have done anything to deserve this. I just want to know why…I feel in my heart that he [Owens] did something to my child.”
Investigator Donna Franks, with the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, confirmed that Owens’ two children were removed from the home at the time of the incident and placed in the custody of the Department of Family and Children’s Services.
Franks also said evidence from Kamari’s case is back from the crime lab and if the file on Owens is complete, his case may go before the Lee County Grand Jury next month.
Owens has since been transferred to the Pontotoc detention center.
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