13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Man arrested in ex-wife's beating death

Man arrested in ex-wife's beating death

Sandra Chapman/Eyewitness News

Whitestown - Police say a man attacked his ex-wife Friday while their children were in another room.

Friends say 34-year-old Beth Stayer had a memorable smile. But what authorities in Boone County saw last Thursday morning is much harder to forget. The young mother was brutally beaten inside the condominium she moved into just two weeks ago. The bloody scene was discovered after someone dialed 911 from her cell phone.

"It went out as a domestic with injury," said Whitestown Police Detective James Fouch. "The phone call was actually originated by the ex-husband."

Michael Stayer actually called 911 requesting help for his ex-wife. He told authorities he had been attacked with a hammer, but it's unclear if he mentioned anything about injuries to his ex-wife. The prosecutor's office is preventing the release of those 911 calls.

But in court records, investigators provide a chilling account.

"Michael Stayer did attempt to kill another human being. [He] repeatedly struck Beth Stayer in the head and face with a hammer like object, resulting in bodily injury. [Including] broken bones to the head and face and Michael Stayer committed said offense in the presence of a child less than 16 years of age, a four-year-old juvenile, knowing that the child was present and might be able to see or hear the offense," the report reads.

"Two-year-old little girl, four-year-old little boy," Det. Fouch said. "You could tell there was a struggle."

More than a day later, Beth Stayer died from her injuries. Her 31-year-old ex-husband, who shared custody of the children, now sits behind bars at the Boone County Jail without bond and awaiting formal charges of murder.

Michael Stayer is no longer talking about what happened. Police describe his demeanor as quiet and withdrawn.
    
An autopsy is scheduled to determine the exact cause of Beth Stayer's death.