A teenage daycare worker in the US state of Minnesota has been charged with murder after she allegedly confessed to suffocating two infants in a disturbing bid for attention, prosecutors have revealed.
A Pattern of Suspicious Incidents
Theah Loudemia Russell, aged 18 from Savage, was arrested on Tuesday following a three-month investigation centred on the Rocking Horse Ranch childcare facility. The probe was launched after two children suffered serious medical complications while under her care.
One of the victims, 11-month-old Harvey Muklebust, died just five days before what would have been his first birthday. Authorities booked Russell into Scott County Jail on Wednesday on charges of second-degree murder and felony assault in the first and third degrees, among other undisclosed charges.
"No words can fully express the profound sorrow we feel for the Muklebust family and all of those affected by this crime," Savage Police Chief Brady Juell stated. "Our thoughts remain with Harvey's loved ones and we are committed to supporting them through every step of what will undoubtedly be a long and difficult journey."
From Medical Episode to Murder Investigation
The alarming sequence of events began on September 19, when police were called to the Rocking Horse Ranch after a four-month-old girl was found briefly not breathing, with blood and foam beneath her nose and mouth. Chief Juell explained that the infant had resumed breathing and was taken to hospital by her parents, with officers initially treating it as a medical episode with "no immediate concerns of foul play."
The baby was treated and sent home, appearing healthy over the weekend. However, when she returned to daycare the following Monday, she was discovered unresponsive and not breathing, with blood around her nose and mouth. Law enforcement was not called during this second hospital transport, but a doctor specialising in child abuse later alerted police to concerns about possible asphyxiation.
Merely two hours after that medical alert, Russell called 911 to report that Harvey Muklebust had stopped breathing. Emergency services rushed back to the daycare, where Russell was allegedly found carrying the "blue" and unresponsive infant. Despite life-saving efforts, Muklebust was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at hospital.
A History of Attention-Seeking Behaviour
The daycare was shut down immediately after the tragedy, and the Minnesota Department of Human Services suspended its licence the next day, citing an "imminent risk of harm" to children. The subsequent investigation involved interviews with staff, parents, children, and contractors connected to the facility.
"A clear pattern emerged: Theah Russell was a common denominator in each of these incidents," Chief Juell said during a press conference, noting she had only been employed at the daycare for three weeks at the time. Her behaviour at the scene had "immediately raised suspicion," making her the primary person of interest.
An in-depth review of Russell's background, including talks with friends, family, and former employers, uncovered "a documented history of attention-seeking behaviour." This included calling 911 over "nonsensical" matters, starting fires at a church camp, and displaying "erratic behaviour" towards other children.
Authorities concluded that Russell had attempted to suffocate the children on three separate occasions to gain attention, with the third attempt allegedly killing Muklebust. In custody, she reportedly gave detailed accounts of the suffocation attempts, confessing she had choked the children by pressing her fingers down on their throats as an "attention-seeking act." Prosecutors stated she only stopped harming Muklebust because she "got scared when the victim turned purple."
Expert Analysis and Legal Proceedings
Michael Weber, a former Texas detective and child abuse consultant, described the case as a textbook example of Munchausen by proxy. "It’s so offender-specific. It could be attention from a loved one, it could be attention from authorities because she has made 911 calls before," Weber told local media. He suggested she may have wanted to be seen as a hero who found the child in distress.
Weber warned that this form of abuse, which involves inducing medical symptoms, is compulsive and that offenders "do not stop." He labelled Russell "an extremely dangerous offender."
Since her arrest, Russell has remained in custody with bail set at $3.5 million. A GoFundMe page set up for Muklebust’s funeral remembered the baby boy as "pure happiness and sunshine from the moment he was born" who "could light up an entire room with his contagious smile."
Theah Loudemia Russell is scheduled to make her first court appearance on February 4.
