Child Abuse Cases Split Across Counties, Draw Regional Attention

Readers Across Northeast Missouri Call for Continued Coverage as Cases Move Forward

By Echo Menges, The Edina Sentinel/NEMOnews Media Group

EDINA, Mo. — Two related child abuse cases filed in Adair County in 2024 are now proceeding on separate legal tracks, with one set for a trial setting in Shelby County next month and the other scheduled for trial later this year in Adair County.

Court records show that Cody Allen Murphy, 35, of Kirksville, formerly of Queen City, in case 24AR-CR00126-01, and Destiny Ann Stufflebean, also known as Destiny Ann Ferdig, 34, of Lancaster, formerly of Edina, in case 24AR-CR00119-01, were each charged in February 2024 with multiple counts of felony child abuse or neglect involving several minor victims.

Each defendant is charged with four counts of abuse or neglect of a child resulting in serious physical injury, Class B felonies. The charges include allegations of causing serious physical injury to a child and failing to provide adequate food and medical care to multiple children under their supervision.

Each Class B felony is punishable by five to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Both Murphy and Stufflebean have entered pleas of not guilty in their respective criminal cases.

Murphy’s case has been transferred to Shelby County on a change of venue and is now filed as 24SB-CR00089. According to court records, a trial setting hearing is scheduled for May 28, 2026, at 10 a.m. before 41st Circuit Presiding Judge Frederick Paul Tucker in Shelby County.

Stufflebean’s case remains in Adair County, where a jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2026, with a pretrial conference set for Aug. 10, 2026, before 2nd Circuit Presiding Judge Matthew Wilson.

The cases are being prosecuted by Adair County Prosecuting Attorney David Goring, along with assistant prosecutors David Briggs and Andrew Boster.

Murphy is represented by public defender Thomas Jefferson Stephens IV of Kansas City, Mo. Stufflebean is represented by Quincy, Ill.-based attorneys Jonathan Hoover and Mark Taylor, with Patrick Nolan of Kirksville serving as special public defender.

The Shelby County docket shows Murphy’s case has undergone multiple resets since its transfer, including previously scheduled jury trials in March 2025 and October 2025 that were later canceled. A continuance was granted without objection earlier this month, and a trial setting hearing is scheduled for May 28 in Shelby County.

A trial setting is a pretrial hearing that allows the court to confirm readiness for trial and may establish or finalize a trial date, along with any needed pretrial conference and motion hearing dates ahead of a jury trial.

Court records also indicate that online access to the Murphy case was temporarily restricted beginning in October 2025, just prior to a scheduled trial, before being restored to public view on Friday, April 17, 2026, following this journalist’s inquiry on Thursday, April 16.

No reason for the change was listed in court records. However, it is common in Missouri for some court records to have limited online visibility in the period leading up to a jury trial. The court record does show an order from Judge Tucker stating, “Conference call with attorneys. The need for the higher security level on CaseNet no longer exists. CaseNet security level shall return to 1,” was entered into the record on Friday.

Stufflebean’s case has followed a separate timeline in Adair County, with multiple continuances and scheduling adjustments leading to the current October 2026 trial date.

These cases have drawn interest across the region, including from readers in Adair, Knox, Schuyler and Scotland counties, where the defendants and family members have ties. Our readers have asked for continued coverage of the cases, which will be provided by The Edina Sentinel/NEMOnews Media Group going forward.

In recent weeks, the cases have also drawn increased public attention, including discussion on social media. Posts circulating online have raised concerns about the pace and handling of the proceedings.

Court records show both cases continue to move through pretrial processes in their respective courts.

The defendants, Cody Murphy and Destiny Stufflebean, are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.