Missouri woman acquitted of murder in teen daughter’s death

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – A judge has acquitted a southwestern Missouri woman on murder and two other felony charges in the death of the autistic teenage daughter that she gave up for adoption as a baby.

Greene County Circuit Court Judge Calvin Holden on Friday found Rebecca Ruud not guilty of first- and second-degree murder, tampering with evidence and felony abuse or neglect of a child.

However, she was convicted her of illegally abandoning a corpse.

Ruud could get four years in prison when she’s sentenced Sept. 15.

The charges stemmed from the July 2017 death of 16-year-old Savannah Leckie, whose remains were found in a burn pit on Ruud’s remote property near the Arkansas-Missouri border