Ozark mom describes pain after father charged in baby's death: 'Crying isn't enough'

Ren Jones wasn't home when it happened and still has trouble believing it.

According to Ozark police, on Oct. 3 James Church became frustrated with their 2-month-old daughter, shook the infant, and dropped her on a couch.

Jones said she was at work in Springfield when she received a call from her brother-in-law to go to the hospital. She waited there for hours, she said, before an Ozark police officer explained what had allegedly happened to her daughter.

Three days later, her daughter died in a St. Louis hospital, and Church was subsequently charged with murder.

Jones spoke to the News-Leader on Wednesday night on the porch outside her house in the Homestead Mobile Home Park. She had trouble expressing the emotional pain she has felt in the last two weeks.

"I don't have words for that," Jones said. "If you can imagine hurting so badly that you can't even cry because it's past crying — crying isn't enough."

More than anything, Jones said she wanted to express thanks to people who have reached out and supported her, especially Todd and Cassandra Madsen.

"They have absolutely been my knights in shining armor," she said of the Madsens. "They called me and checked up on me — hourly, at first."

The husband and wife are close friends of Jones and they set up an online fundraiser that Jones said allowed her to bury her daughter.

"If it hadn't been for them I don't know if I would have been able to bury her over cremating her, and that was a really horrible thought," she said. "I couldn't believe how many people — and how many of them were strangers that gave large amounts — and how far it went. They had a donor from Israel on there. That was amazing."

Jones also has a 9-year-old son.

"He's OK," she said. "He took it hard like any kid would, but he's handling it well."

When asked why she chose to name her daughter Iris, Jones said it had to do with her mother.

"I lost my mom earlier this year when I was pregnant, right before I found out that I was going to be having a girl," Jones said. "We both always really liked iris flowers, and I wanted a unique name."

Less than three weeks after Iris was born, Jones said she had to return to work. Normally she said she works between 45 to 52 hours a week.

"My doctor didn't want me to go back to work, but when you have bills to pay, you have bills to pay," Jones said.

Jones said she's known Church for five years and that they had been together for two years.

She said her family liked Church, whom she described as "easygoing." Jones said he was excited to be a father.

"He liked to laugh, watch stupid movies. He didn't even like hunting. He didn't like people that hunt. He didn't like to squish bugs," Jones said. "He was obsessed with (Iris). I couldn't send him to the store for milk without him coming home with more baby clothes."

According to court documents, Church told police he was alone with Iris when he shook her, then dropped her onto an inflatable couch from chest height.

Documents said Church then went to make her a bottle before noticing she had stopped breathing. He then called 911 at about 1 p.m., court documents said, and Iris regained a heartbeat on the way to the hospital.

The doctor who examined the child found older broken ribs that had occurred prior to the Monday incident, bruising around the child's torso, severe traumatic brain injury and a skull fracture, according to court documents.

Church, 39, has been charged with murder and three counts of child abuse, according to online records, and his bond was set at $500,000.

As the media reported on the charges facing Church, Jones said complete strangers have commented online, accusing her of being a bad mother and worse.

"That's not the case at all — at all," she said. "It's frustrating and it's hurtful when I'm already grieving to have people accusing me of all kinds of stuff."

According to Jones, there was absolutely no indication Church was capable of what police have accused him of doing.

"He was a great dad. If I had any thought at all that there was anything wrong or that he wasn't, I wouldn't have left (Iris) here," she said. "He was never violent towards anyone, let alone his family.

"Really, I can't say enough times, he was always good with her. There was never anything that made me question whether it was a good idea for her to be with him or whether she was safe."

Jones said she wanted to give her daughter "everything."

"A better life than what I had — not that mine was bad — but you always want to give your kids more, an easier life," Jones said. "I wanted to her to grow up and go to college and not have to work so hard."

Regarding the fate of Church, Jones said she wants people to see that "there's a difference between justice and revenge."

"I see a lot of people saying really horrible things about him," she said. "I don't think I can ever forgive what happened, but he was not a monster, he was not an evil person."

Jones said that new parents should have paid time off.

"It's really hard to find a day care that will even take newborns, and if you do find one, you're nervous about leaving your baby there," she said.

Todd Madsen said he worked with both Jones and Church and is good friends with Jones. He said the death of Iris and how it allegedly happened shocked him when he heard about it.

"My knees buckled. I had to sit down," he said. "(Church) said he always wanted kids ... I just don't get it."

Madsen fiercely defended Jones.

"I know Ren. If there was any indication her baby was being hurt, she would have left," he said. "These people online, they just jump to conclusions."