A Harrison County woman is facing charges of second-degree murder and felony child abuse in connection with the death of her young daughter.


Twenty-three year old Nicole Lauria Lister of Eagleville is being held in the Harrison County Law Enforcement Center on a $250,000 cash-only bond. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, September 19th in the Associate Division of Harrison County Circuit Court in Bethany.

According to a news release, emergency responders transported the 8-month-old girl to the hospital in Bethany early Saturday after someone called authorities to report she was not breathing. The child was pronounced dead by an emergency room physician.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is assisting the Harrison County Sheriff's Department in this investigation. Patrol Spokesman Sheldon Lyon is quoted as saying a preliminary autopsy has been conducted, but he declined to release what
may have caused the baby's death because the patrol is not the lead investigator in the
case.

It has also been reported that the family recently moved to the Eagleville area from the state of Nevada.

In another weekend story, authorities are working to identify a female, whose decomposing body was found in rural Harrison County. The Sheriff's Department received a 9-1-1 call regarding the female's body found in a farm field near Ridgeway. No other information was available.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol also is assisting Harrison County with this investigation as authorities await results of an autopsy.