Hung jury leads to mistrial in case of missing Virginia baby

ROANOKE, Va. – A deadlocked jury has led to a mistrial in the case of a Virginia man charged in the disappearance of his 3-month-old daughter.

News outlets report Andrew Christopher Terry’s trial on a charge of concealing a body ended Thursday. The case is fraught with changing testimony, and authorities still haven’t recovered the body of Arieanna Day, who vanished last year.

Arieanna’s mother, Jessica Day, testified she repeatedly lied to police, saying at different times that Arieanna was kidnapped by an adoption agency, smothered while breastfeeding and given away to Terry’s cousin.

She said Thursday that Terry actually took away Arieanna. Terry previously admitted, recanted and admitted again to burying Arieanna. Defence attorney Angi Simpkins questioned if Arieanna had actually died.

Prosecutor Mary Pettitt says she hasn’t decided on a retrial.