Earlier this week, we wrote about one of the most horrific and unbelievable criminal allegations we've heard in a long time: Jessica Lynn Howell, a 25-year-old O'Fallon mother, is accused of knowingly letting her boyfriend sexually assault her four-month-old baby daughter -- and encouraging it. Jordan Lafayette Prince, a 25-year-old St. Charles man, rape, strangled and killed the infant Ashlynn Lilith Peters, officials say. Both are now behind bars facing second-degree murder charges.
Investigators say they have uncovered text messages relating to the December assault that show the mother advocating the rape.
Howell and Prince both have public Facebook profiles that frequently mention Ashlynn before and after her death and also include a fair amount of bizarre photos and comments that are, at the very least, unsettling in the context of the gruesome allegations. Prince -- whose last post before he went to jail read, "This is for you baby girl.....daddy misses you....daddy loves you" -- has some especially troubling posts.
See also: - O'Fallon Mom, Encouraged Boyfriend To Rape Her Infant Daughter: Cops - Tessa Vanvlerah Gets Life for Allowing Kenneth Kyle to Have Sex with Infant Daughter - Decades After First Alleged Child Sex Abuse, St. Louis Priest Removed
It could be a while before the public learns the full extent of the information that investigators have uncovered implicating Howell in the death of her own daughter.
She may not go to trial until 2014, a prosecuting attorney told Daily RFT earlier this week. You can read the full charging document in our previous coverage.
We've reached out to attorneys listed for Prince and will update if we hear back. Since her recent arrest, Howell does not yet have an attorney listed in online court records.
In the meantime, below are photos of the two and a selection of their public Facebook postings.
A message on a now-deleted memorial page for Ashlynn:
Jordan Prince wrote this message on December 5, two days after Ashlynn died:
And these messages from Howell in the immediate aftermath of the death, first with a long defense of her boyfriend:
Continue for more photos and postings from the two.
