DIANE STAUDTE | Staudte Family Murders | “The Antifreeze Murders” | Poisoned Her Daughter Because Her Student Loans Were A ‘Burden’ | Killed Her Family With Antifreeze | LWOP | Lot of 2 ALS

Diane Staudte. Lot of 2 ALS: (1) Pmks: September 18, 2015 and (2) October 15, 2015. SEALED. Contents unknown Pristine.

Diane’s husband, Mark Staudte (b, 1951 – d. 2012 | age 61), was murdered first, followed five months later by her autistic 26-year-old son, Shaun Staudte. 24-year-old daughter Sarah Staudte had also been poisoned with the antifreeze, being taken to the hospital in critical condition. Sarah survived the poisoning and later recovered, albeit with physical and neurological damage. Diane Staudte was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2016, while Rachel Staudte pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in May 2015 as part of a plea deal in exchange for testifying against her mother at her trial, eventually being sentenced in March 2016 to life in prison with the possibility of parole.ⁱ

By June 2013, the Staudte family of Springfield, Missouri, seemed cursed. Mark Staudte, husband to Diane and father of a son and three daughters, died in April 2012. On September 2 of that year, Shaun, Diane and Mark’s 26-year-old autistic son, departed. In June 2013, their daughter Sarah, then 24, was hospitalized with organ failure.

On June 11, 2013, police received an anonymous call saying Diane might be responsible for the deaths in her family. A subsequent investigation uncovered that she’d poisoned her husband, son and daughter with antifreeze – and had acted with the help of her middle daughter and favorite child, Rachel.

Two Murders Go Undiscovered

After the death of Mark, 61, on April 8, 2012, Diane, then 50, told police her husband had been unwell for a few days, but hadn’t wanted to go to the hospital. Due in part to Mark’s unhealthy lifestyle, his death was attributed to natural causes.

An insurance payout helped Diane purchase a new home in a nicer area of Springfield. There, on September 2, 2012, Diane reported finding Shaun dead on his bedroom floor. She told police her son had a history of seizures and had been experiencing flu-like symptoms.

An anonymous report accused Diane of responsibility for Shaun’s death, but an autopsy determined he had died due to prior medical issues.

Testing for ethylene glycol, the harmful component of antifreeze, is not standard for autopsies. “If medical examiners]get a case that’s referred to them that looks like a natural death, or a natural disease process … there’s no reason to go looking for something like ethylene glycol, or any of 100,000 other potential toxic compounds,” Dr. Robert Powers, a forensic toxicologist and associate professor at the University of New Haven, tells A&E True Crime.

The symptoms of ethylene glycol ingestion – nausea, vomiting, decreased level of alertness, slurred speech – can look like other ailments, making it difficult to identify.

Diane arranged no memorial service for her son.ⁱⁱ

READ MORE AT: How Diane and Rachel Staudte Killed Their Family With Antifreeze [Homepage | A+E Networks EMEA (2022), Available at: https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/antifreeze-murder (Accessed: 22 March 2023)].

VIDEO: The Staudte Family Murder | https://youtu.be/eOQY1oJClYM

VIDEO: 2020 A Family Members Plot Mother & Daughter Poison 2020 Complete DOCUMENTARY | https://youtu.be/wvpH_PBdbbM

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