UPDATE: The suspects in the case of a 4-year old girl killed on December 20, 2020 have plead not guilty to charges relating to her death. All four continue to be held without bond.
Just before 1 a.m. on December 20, 2020, Benton County Dispatch received a call from 28-year-old, James Mast, of rural Cole Came, stating that his 4-year-old daughter had been beaten, submerged in a pond, then left to freeze on the bank before being taken back into the residence. When deputies arrived, they found 4-year-old Jessica Mast dead on the floor of her bedroom. The mother of the deceased, 29-year-old Mary S. Mast, and a 2-year-old male child also were beaten to a severe extent. An infant child in the home was found to be unharmed. Mary and the toddler were transported by ambulance to Bothwell Regional Hospital in Sedalia for treatment.