Rex Barnett (born October 22, 1938)[2] is an American politician and former member of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
[4] In 2012, Barnett's grandson, Matthew Barnett, was arrested for the rape of the then fourteen-year-old Daisy Coleman and for having left her unconscious on her family's front porch in severe conditions in Maryville, Missouri.
[5] Barnett subsequently denied any involvement in the case, stating that he "knew that any contact whatsoever by me with the sheriff’s department or prosecuting attorney — or any witness, as far as that goes — would have been bad for me and bad for the case.
"[6] Barnett's grandson pleaded guilty to misdemeanor second-degree endangerment of the welfare of a child for leaving Coleman outside her house, and was sentenced by Missouri Circuit Judge Glen Dietrich to four months in jail that were suspended in favor of two years probation.
[8] Daisy's mother, Melinda Coleman, died by suicide on December 6, barely four months later.