Unsolved Mysteries: Why was Patricia Stallings convicted? Disturbing details of the biggest medical investigation, revisited

Unsolved Mysteries, the documentary television show that aired from 1987 to 2002 across various networks, covered the story of Patricia Stallings in 1991. While the case was unsolved at the time, it was a difficult one to digest since a mother was accused of killing her own baby, leading to her conviction and sentencing.

What seemed to be a straightforward poisoning case turned into one of the most tragic examples of medical misdiagnosis in U.S. history. The episode revealed how a rare genetic disorder, confused for a criminal act, led to the wrongful imprisonment of an innocent mother and tore a family apart.

The tragic conviction of Patricia Stallings: One of the Biggest Unsolved Mysteries

On July 9, 1989, Patricia and David Stallings from St. Louis, Missouri, rushed their three-month-old son, Ryan, to the hospital. Since birth, Ryan had suffered from severe stomach problems, but that day his condition was far worse as he was vomiting constantly and struggling to breathe. The parents were understandably very worried, but their baby's diagnosis would worry them even more.

Ryan was quickly admitted to intensive care, and after days of tests, doctors delivered the diagnosis that he had been poisoned. Since his parents were his immediate caregivers, they were suspected of having poisoned him. From that moment, Patricia and David were not allowed near their baby without supervision. As Patty said in the episode,

“They would not allow us to see Ryan alone. That bothered me, but I still didn’t understand.”

Soon, detectives began questioning both parents separately. Patty told Unsolved Mysteries,

“We were split up and talked to by detectives... They were saying that they knew that that baby had been poisoned by either me or my husband. It infuriated me, and I was just… I was devastated. I was blown away… Ryan was my world… He was perfect.”

Ryan eventually recovered and was released from the hospital after twelve days, but not into his parents’ care. The Stallings were permitted to visit him for only one hour each Thursday. For five weeks, those short visits became the highlight of Patty’s life. Then, during the sixth visit, she was left alone with Ryan for a few minutes. Three days later, Ryan was rushed back to the hospital with the same fatal symptoms.

Doctors once again claimed it was poisoning. Police arrived at the Stallings’ home and arrested Patty. She was charged with assault and taken to jail. While she sat behind bars, Ryan’s health worsened. David described the heartbreaking moment on Unsolved Mysteries, saying,

“The doctors come up and tell me that they have a feeling that Ryan’s not going to make it... I sat there with him in my arms, knowing that Patty couldn’t be there, watching this meter on this machine go down each time his heart would beat.”

Ryan died on September 7, 1989, when he was almost six months old. Patty was charged with first-degree murder and denied bail. She wasn’t even allowed to attend her baby’s funeral. Months later, while still in custody, she learned she was pregnant again. In early 1990, Patricia gave birth to another son, David Stallings Jr. But because of the ongoing case, the newborn was placed in foster care.

Ironically, that separation ended up revealing the truth. Two weeks later, baby David began showing the same symptoms as Ryan. This time, doctors discovered the real cause was a rare metabolic disorder called methylmalonic acidemia (MMA). MMA causes the body to produce toxic compounds that closely resemble antifreeze in lab tests. As a medical expert explained to Unsolved Mysteries,

"It would be very simple to confuse the diagnosis of MMA with multiple poisonings because the symptoms are very similar.”

Despite the discovery, prosecutors refused to admit the condition could have caused Ryan’s death. They blocked the defence from bringing up MMA at trial. With no medical evidence allowed, the jury found Patty guilty. On March 4, 1991, she was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

David Stallings later told Unsolved Mysteries,

“If Ryan would have been correctly diagnosed with MMA, none of this would have happened.”

After the episode aired, doctors across the country contacted the show to say they recognised the symptoms of MMA. Dr Piero Rinaldo, a genetic specialist at Yale University, tested Ryan’s samples and confirmed the disorder. Once the results were made public, prosecutors dropped all charges. Patricia Stallings was freed and finally reunited with her family. The Unsolved Mysteries case of Patricia Stallings remains one of the most unforgettable examples of the danger a misdiagnosis can pose.

Unsolved Mysteries can be streamed on Prime Video and on the show's YouTube channel.

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