SALINE CO.—The victim of an alleged meth blast November 30 is recovering in St. Louis, but there are still no charges against any of the four who were in the vehicle when the shake & bake mini lab blew up.
According to a source close to the case who has requested anonymity, Mary Beth Hutchison, 34, the victim in the upcoming photo, was with three other people—Roger Combs, 27, PJ Irvin (or it could be Ervin, Irvine, Irving, or any number of spellings, but it’s NOT the guy from Galatia who’s a coal miner; we’ve confirmed that, he drives a gray F150, not an S10), reportedly also 27 and Angela Garrison, age unverified—in “Irvin”‘s white S10 extended cab pickup driving around in the country outside of Galatia on Nov. 30 with Hutchison holding a “shake & bake” meth lab on her lap. This “Irvin” was reportedly driving, with Garrison in the front passenger seat; Hutchison was behind Irvin and Combs was seated behind Garrison.
The source said that there are two versions of what happened when the alleged meth lab—the contents under pressure—blew up. One version had it that Combs caused the contents to splash up on Hutchison’s face somehow when he forced her head down onto the lab, horsing around. However, a more plausible scenario had it that constant bumping and jostling in the truck on the back roads caused it to actually blow up.
Whatever the case, the ensuing explosion was reported to us to have blown out the driver’s side window. The next part in the story is a little fuzzy, depending upon which version is accurate: Either the group went right away to the hospital in Harrisburg, or they made a pit stop to unload everything out of the truck before taking Hutchison there. Whatever the case, they ultimately ended up there around 1 in the morning (Friday) and took Hutchison inside. From there, she was transferred to a burn unit in Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Combs, incidentally, was said to have been taken there as well, but he was released fairly quickly. Hutchison stayed, however, supported by both a breathing tube and feeding tube in an intensive care unit. The breathing tube was removed at some point before the weekend was up; the feeding tube, we were told Sunday night, stayed in.
It was reported to us that police talked to Garrison, whose presence in the truck was covered by her teenage daughter, telling authorities that Garrison was “home all night” with her. A cursory examination of Garrison’s phone, we were told, revealed that there wasn’t any suspicious activity, as, she said, her phone “doesn’t store any numbers when she dials them.” It was suggested to police by friends of Hutchison’s to get a warrant for the phone records and examine them, as that would tell the tale. But as far as we know, this hasn’t been done yet…and authorities seem less than interested in conducting such an investigation, according to our sources on the case.
Our sources spoke to us out of concern for Hutchison, her condition, and her children, whom they believe are suffering most in this circumstance. The validity of the report we’ve been given should be viewed with that in mind; it’s been corroborated by numerous sources, but none of them are officials, so bear that in mind, too. Thus far, there are no charges that we’re aware of. That doesn’t mean there won’t be. But our sources are concerned that Combs continues to get involved in situations involving drugs, and never seems to suffer for any of it, so there’s no telling what his status is in this instance.
We’d like to warn you that the photo we’re displaying below is graphic in nature, because this is what meth making chemicals do to human skin. We were sent this photo Sunday night by someone associated with the case, but didn’t have permission to run it at that time. We were advised today that it’s on a relative’s Facebook page, which makes it open to us publishing it both here and in print. Her friends are publishing it, and encouraging us to do so, in an effort to show the public what this dope can do to a person, and in hopes that maybe, this time, Hutchison will get away from the people who continue in this lifestyle, and will return to her family and friends who care about her. We’ve been told that her ear is probably a loss, and that she’ll have to have skin grafts.
Mary Beth Hutchison at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis
Let’s hope EVERYONE takes a lesson from this, no matter what the bottom line facts end up being.