In the small town of Hartville, Missouri, a young boy's fascination with superheroes and mythical creatures came to a tragic end. Five-year-old Timothy William Deatherage Jr. was a male child full of life and laughter. On July 2, 2018, a day that would forever alter the lives of his family, Timothy was at home with his two siblings.
His mother and her boyfriend had left the children unattended to attend to some business, asking a neighbor to check on them periodically. The neighbor reported seeing the children watching television and seemingly safe. However, the quiet of the day was shattered by the sound of a gunshot. One of Timothy's siblings frantically ran to the neighbor for help, revealing that something terrible had occurred. Inside the home, young Timothy was found, having suffered a fatal wound from an accidental shotgun discharge.
The investigation into Timothy's death revealed a heartbreaking story of neglect. His mother, Bobbie Jo Scott, had left loaded firearms accessible to her young children while they were home alone. This act of endangerment led to her arrest and prosecution. Scott ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree child endangerment causing death.
In a courtroom in Hartville, the legal proceedings concluded with a sentence for the grieving mother. Bobbie Jo Scott was sentenced to 10 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for her role in the tragic and preventable death of her young son. The story of Timothy's death serves as a somber reminder of the responsibility of gun ownership and the profound consequences of leaving children unsupervised in the presence of firearms.
