Two of four defendants facing charges in connection to the death of a four-year-old Benton County girl in December are scheduled to be in court on Wednesday.

During the early morning hours of December 20, Benton County authorities were called to a residence in reference to a 4-year-old female who was deceased. Jessica Mast had allegedly been beaten, submerged in a pond, then left to freeze on the bank before being taken back into the residence. The girl’s mother, Mary Mast and a 2-year-old male child had also reportedly been beaten to a severe extent.

According to online court documents, 35-year-old Ethan Joel Mast and 21-year-old Kourtney Aumen, who were the first to be charged, are facing a Class A Felony for Murder in the Second Degree; three counts of a Class A Felony for Assault in the First Degree- Serious Physical Injury; and a Class C Felony for Sexual Abuse in the First Degree. Each is being held without bond.

Both Ethan Mast and Aumen are scheduled to be in court on Wednesday, April 21.

Court documents say, the father of the child, 28-year-old James Mast is charged with Class A and Class B Felonies for Endangering the Welfare of a Child- No Sexual Contact; and 29-year-old Mary Mast, the girl’s mother, is charged with a Class A Felony for Endangering the Welfare of a Child- No Sexual Contact and a Class A Felony for Domestic Assault in the First Degree- Serious Physical Injury. Both James and Mary Mast are currently out on bond.

James Mast’s next court appearance is scheduled to be held at 8 a.m. Tuesday, April 27 at Benton County Circuit Court.

Mary Mast’s next court appearance is scheduled to be held at 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 11, at Benton County Circuit Court.