A nursery worker is alleged to have suffocated an 11-month-old baby to death just days before his first birthday in an apparent bid for attention. Theah Loudemia Russell, 18, has been charged with second-degree murder and felony assault following the death of Harvey Muklebust on 22 September last year.
Russell alerted emergency services on the day of the incident, reporting that Harvey was not breathing. The baby died five days before his first birthday. An investigation by Scott County Sheriff's officers revealed that Russell had been employed at the Rocking Horse Ranch day care in Savage, Minnesota, for only three weeks at the time.
Police chief Brady Juell stated that Russell's behaviour immediately raised suspicion, noting that she had last contact with each affected child immediately prior to the incidents. He said: 'We have probable cause to believe Theah Russell intentionally suffocated these children on three occasions to seek attention. That third incident tragically resulted in the death of Harvey Muklebust.'
The investigation also uncovered a prior incident involving a baby girl at the same nursery. Just three days before Harvey's death, police responded to a report of the girl struggling to breathe with blood and foam from her mouth. She was taken to hospital and released, with no foul play initially suspected. However, when the same child showed symptoms again on 22 September, her parents took her to hospital again.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services suspended the nursery's licence the following day, citing an imminent risk of harm to children. A GoFundMe page for Harvey described him as a boy of 'pure happiness and sunshine' whose smile could light up a room. Chief Juell added that the case had 'shaken our entire community'.
