MARIES COUNTY — The preliminary hearing for Tracy M. Ellis, the Maries County woman charged with two felonies stemming from the death of her disabled teenage daughter who died as a result of a fire in their mobile home in March, was held last Tuesday morning in the Maries County Associate Circuit Court. Maries County Prosecuting Attorney Anthony “Tony” Skouby, representing the state at the preliminary hearing, called five witnesses who presented enough testimony for Maries County Associate Circuit Court Judge Kerry Rowden to determine there was probable cause that a crime had been committed and Ellis was bound over to circuit court. Her next court date is set for July 1 with Circuit Judge William Hickle presiding. 

Tracy M. Ellis, 43, of Vichy, is charged with second degree murder and child endangerment from the March 17, 2019 death of her 14-year-old daughter, Ashlyn Ellis, whose remains were discovered by firemen following the destruction by fire of the family’s mobile home on MRC 438 in the Vichy area.

The first two witnesses called to testify were teenagers who are friends with Tracy Ellis’s son, Connor, age 16, a student at St. James. Justin Yamnitz was the first person to testify. He was tall, thin and wearing a St. James FFA hoodie. He detailed how he, Connor and another friend, Cordell Richardson, planned to go trout fishing at Meramec Springs on the Sunday morning of April 17, 2019. Yamnitz said he picked up Connor Ellis at about 6:30 p.m. Ellis came out of his home, went to the shed to get his fishing equipment and got into his vehicle with him. The three youth fished until about 11:15 a.m. and decided to fry up their fish to eat. They went to Yamnitz’s home first and got some grease and potatoes, then went to Connor’s grandpa’s place to clean and fry the fish. Connor got on his grandpa’s four wheeler and went to his home to get salt and pepper. He came back quickly and said his house was burning down. He said he didn’t know if his sister, Ashlyn was inside or not. They jumped into Yamnitz’s truck and drove quickly to the single-wide mobile home, busting through the front door to gain entry but it was too smoky and hot to go further. They busted the window located at Ashlyn’s bedroom. Connor called his mom, Tracy Ellis, and got their 911 address and 911 was called. They could not get into the window because a bookcase or something was blocking it. 

Yamnitz said that morning when he picked up Connor, he saw Tracy’s Honda parked at the home and there were lights on in the trailer. He said Connor had stayed the night with him a few times when they were going fishing early the next morning. 

Attorney Grant Smith represented Tracy Ellis at the preliminary hearing. Ellis, who is out on bond, sat quietly at the defense table. 

Yamnitz said he is a high school student and has known Connor Ellis for about two years. They go to school together. The plans the boys had for fishing on that Sunday had been in the works for several days. It was trout season and Meramec Springs is about a 25 minute drive. They picked up Cordell Richardson who lives about a mile from Yamnitz’s house. Yamnitz said he left home at about 5:55 a.m. He picked up Cordell then Connor, which took about 10 minutes. He said he had met Tracy Ellis before but did not see her that morning but did see her vehicle in the driveway. Smith questioned him closely about the times and he repeated what he’d answered when Skouby questioned him about the times they left and came back. 

They each caught several fish and wanted to fry them up. He called him mom and told her what their plans were. Once they arrived at Connor’s grandpa’s place, Connor left on a four wheeler to get condiments and came back quickly, saying his house was on fire. This was about two to three minutes after Connor had drove off and they two boys were still sitting in the truck in front of Connor’s grandpa’s shop. They went to the burning structure and it only took a couple of minutes to get there. They tried to get in, tried to get Ashlyn out but when they busted through the front door they were engulfed in smoke and could see nothing. “It pulled the air right out of me and I could not breathe,” he said. “It was hot, very hot.” All three boys tried to get in. Yemenite said he’d never met Ashlyn but Connor had told him about her. 

Another friend, Cordell Richardson, a fellow student at St. James High School, took the stand and Skouby began the questioning. He answered the same questions that Yamnitz had, saying he’s been friends with Connor Ellis for about a year and a half. That morning when they picked up Ellis, Richardson saw lights on in the trailer. When they returned from fishing, Connor left on a four wheeler to get a filet knife and salt and pepper and quickly came back saying his house was on fire. He said Connor did not indicate if anyone was there. They tried to get into the house through the door and in a bedroom window as Connor said he thought his sister was inside. They tried the first window on the left and shattered the glass window, but here was something blocking it and prevented them from entering. 

Richardson said Connor had stayed at his home before, mostly when they were going hunting, but mainly he would take him home. Connor’s mom was usually there.

Smith questioned Richardson also, asking questions about how long and how far they traveled that morning. He said there was a little, wooden porch at the front door of the single-wide trailer where two people could sit. It was an entryway. 

When they came back from fishing and were at Connor’s grandpa’s garage, they could not see the Ellis home because the garage was blocking the view. He said they could not enter the front door because there was too much smoke and it was hot. They could not get in the left side window and tried the second one on the right. One of the windows was blocked by something inside. They could not find anything to stand on to get in, it was too high up. He’s about 5’7” and the window was about five feet off the ground.

Connor Ellis was called to testify. He said he lived in the mobile home with his mom and two sisters. One of his sisters is Ashlyn, age 13, who died on March 17, 2019. He was asked the same questions about going fishing. His mom knew he was going, she was home that morning, although he did not speak to her. When he got back home, his mom was not there. He called her and found out Ashlyn was inside the burning mobile home. He tried to get in but there was too much smoke. He tired a window and could not get in.

He said Ashlyn was home alone sometimes. He watched her a lot, on weekends and if he didn’t Debbie did when his mom was gone on weekends working. His sister Kameron, age 12, was too little to watch Ashlyn. Connor said Ashlyn could not walk or talk but she could crawl pretty fast. She could not feed herself and she wore a diaper and had to be changed like a very young child. She required supervision but sometimes was left alone. The day of the fire, he called his mom and she was at work. Ashlyn was home alone. 

Smith questioned Connor, who said he will be a junior in high school next year. He was questioned about what he told his mother about the fishing trip and Connor said he talked to her face-to-face about it a couple of nights before the trip. He had his own cell phone and would talk and text his mom. The morning he left, he yelled “I’m leaving, see you.” His mom was in the bathroom. He thinks Ashlyn was asleep when he left, and his other sister was at a friend’s house, but he is not sure. 

When he came back and rode the four wheeler to his home, he saw that it was on fire. They went to the fire and tried to get in the front door but the smoke, fire and heat repelled them. He said he didn’t really know if his sister was still inside but it had crossed his mind. He called his mom for the 911 address and his friends called the fire department. His mom arrived later, coming from either Steelville or Sullivan. He said it was not unusual for his mom to work Saturdays and Sundays. He watched his sister while his mom was working. He said he does things with his friends but tries to be home at the times his mom sets.

Maries County Sheriff’s Deputy Greg Andrews testified about being on duty that morning. He was dispatched via radio to the scene and was one of the first people to arrive at the scene of the fire. He saw the three young men there. Connor told him his sister was inside and pointed to her bedroom window. He tried to get in but a dresser or a bookcase was in front of the window. The smoke was heavy. He could see furniture inside but not the child’s remains. 

After the fire was out, he saw the bunk bed with a cage enclosing it on all sides. The cage had a spring-loaded hasp lock that could not be opened from the inside. He later learned Ashlyn’s remains were there. 

Smith questioned Andrews who said he was dispatched about the fire at 12:18 p.m. Along with the young men already there were two highway patrolmen and members of the Vichy Fire Department there. The single-wide mobile home was engulfed in flames. The boys told him they’d tried to enter and could not and Andrews also tried to enter the structure and could not. He examined the crib after the fire was out. 

St. James Fireman Zane Hunter was the last witness called that morning by Prosecutor Skouby. Hunter said he responded to the fire scene for mutual aid for Vichy Fire. He was wearing protective equipment and was one of the first people inside the mobile home along with another St. James fireman and Vichy Fire’s Logan Prigge.  He used a bar to get in. There was extensive damage. He was told there was a fatality inside and they located the victim in the back, right bedroom. Ashlyn’s remains were in the bed-like area that had a door. It was like a cage  with vertical bars across the front. They broke open the gate and cleared the debris and identified the occupant on the bed as Ashlyn Ellis. It was hard to get in and out of the cage.

Smith questioned Hunter, asking him about the lock. Hunter said they had to break it because it was fused by the heat. There was fire damage and low visibility. The lock mechanisms were not in working order. 

At that point, Skouby said the prosecution rests and Smith said the defense rests. Judge Rowden bound Ellis over to circuit court, Judge Hickle’s court for July 1 at 9 a.m.