A day care worker in the United States has been charged with murder after allegedly suffocating an 11-month-old baby to death just days before his first birthday, in what authorities describe as a calculated ploy to seek attention.
Charges Follow Three-Month Investigation
Theah Loudemia Russell, aged 18, was arrested and formally charged on 13 January with second-degree murder and felony assault. The charges stem from a three-month investigation into the death of Harvey Muklebust at the Rocking Horse Ranch nursery in Savage, Minnesota. Court records indicate it is not yet clear if Russell has entered a plea or secured legal representation.
The tragic sequence began on 22 September last year, when Russell herself alerted emergency services to report that Harvey was not breathing. Despite efforts to save him, the infant died. He was just five days away from celebrating his first birthday.
A Pattern of Suspicious Incidents Emerges
Investigators soon uncovered a disturbing pattern. Just three days before Harvey's death, police had responded to the same nursery after a baby girl was found struggling to breathe, with blood and foam coming from her mouth. The child had begun breathing by the time officers arrived and was taken to hospital by her parents. Initially deemed a possible medical episode with no obvious foul play, the child was released and seemed well over the weekend.
However, when the same girl returned to the day care on 22 September, she again began showing alarming symptoms. Her parents took her back to hospital, though police were not contacted on that occasion. The Minnesota Department of Human Services suspended the facility's licence the next day, citing an "imminent risk of harm" to children.
Worker's Behaviour 'Immediately Raised Suspicion'
Savage Police Chief Brady Juell stated that Russell's conduct during the investigation "immediately raised suspicion," quickly making her a person of interest. "She had last contact with each of the affected children immediately prior to these events," Chief Juell revealed at a press conference.
Russell had only been employed at the nursery for approximately three weeks at the time of the incidents. A thorough probe into her background followed. Chief Juell stated that investigators believe they have probable cause to show Russell intentionally suffocated children on three separate occasions to gain attention, with the third incident tragically proving fatal for Harvey Muklebust.
An online fundraiser set up for Harvey's family described him as a boy of "pure happiness and sunshine" whose smile could light up a room. Chief Juell said the case had profoundly "shaken our entire community." The investigation remains ongoing as the judicial process moves forward.
