U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey has sentenced former school bus driver Robert W. Stillwell to 30 years in prison for the sexual abuse and recording of two young children. Stillwell, aged 67 from St. Peters, Missouri, was found guilty of abusing a girl born in 2016 and another born in 2022, both while awake and asleep. The abuse of the older child reportedly spanned at least two years, during which Stillwell coerced her with promises of toys and money and threats. He also used voice modifications to create messages from "girls" encouraging compliance.
The abuse came to light when the family of the older victim contacted the St. Peters Police Department in December 2023 with concerns following their daughter's report that Stillwell claimed drinking her urine as medicinal. This led investigators to uncover recordings of Stillwell's abuse.
Describing the case during the hearing, Judge Autrey stated it was one of the “most vile and most despicable” he had witnessed. Stillwell entered a guilty plea in January to two counts of production of child pornography.
The investigation involved the FBI, the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force, and the St. Peters Police Department, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson. The case falls under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse, which started in May 2006. This initiative seeks to enhance the coordination of federal, state, and local resources to find, prosecute offenders, and rescue victims involved in child exploitation online.
For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
