An 18-year-old Minnesota day care employee “intentionally” suffocated an 11-month-old infant, killing the boy back in September, according to authorities.
Following a monthslong investigation, Rocking Horse Ranch employee Theah Loudemia Russell was arrested the morning of Tuesday, January 13, in connection with Harvey Muklebust’s death, Savage Police Department Chief Brady Juell announced during a Wednesday, January 14, news conference.
Russell is accused of admitting to suffocating Harvey and another child at the day care, which “immediately closed” after Harvey died on September 22, according to Juell.
She also “confessed to the murder of Harvey Muklebust,” Juell said.
Russell is being held in the Scott County Jail and is expected to face criminal charges, including second-degree murder, according to Juell.
Information on whether Russell has retained legal representation was not immediately available.
A few days before Harvey died, on September 19, Juell said officers visited Rocking Horse Ranch after it was reported that a 4-month-old baby girl was “briefly not breathing” and had “blood and foam under her nose and mouth.”
When officers arrived, the girl was “breathing again” and was taken to a hospital by her parents, according to Juell.
“At that time, this appeared to be a medical episode with no immediate foul play concerns raised,” Juell said.
The following Monday, on September 22, when Harvey died, Juell said that the baby girl returned to the day care, healthy.
“A short time later, she was again found unresponsive, not breathing, with blood around her nose and mouth,” Juell noted, adding that her parents then brought her to a hospital.
About two hours later, around 10:00 a.m., Juell said that Russell called 911 to report Harvey was not breathing.
Police and first responders arrived and tried to save Harvey. He was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead around 11:34 a.m., according to Juell.
“Based on the totality of the evidence,” investigators believe Russell “intentionally suffocated these children on three occasions to seek attention,” Juell said, referring to Harvey and the baby girl.
Juell said Russell has a “documented history of attention seeking behavior.”
Russell had been working for Rocking Horse Ranch for about three weeks, according to Juell.
Us Weekly was unable to leave a message seeking comment for Rocking Horse Ranch, as the Savage business’ voicemail box was full. Savage is about a 20-mile drive southwest from Minneapolis.
While reading a statement on behalf of Harvey’s parents and family, Harvey’s grandmother, Julie Muklebust, said at the news conference that Harvey was nearly a year old when he died.
“From the moment Harvey was born, he filled our world with sunshine. His passion for playing, infectious laugh, loving heart, put a smile on everybody’s face,” Julie said.
“Just five days shy of his first birthday, he was on the move, crawling, climbing up the stairs and sliding back down, and learning to say mama and dada,” she added.
In addition to Julie and his parents, Hunter and Catherine Muklebust, Harvey is survived by his older brother, Declan, his grandparents, a great grandmother, and several other loved ones, according to his online obituary.
Julie said his death “has left a tremendous hole in our hearts.”
“Harvey’s fingerprints are on my sliding glass door, and his drool stains still show on his crib sheets,” she said through tears. “Those are the little things that I’m not ready to wash away.”
“We miss him more than anything in this world.”
Rocking Horse Ranch’s operating license was suspended the day after Harvey’s death, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services, CBS News reported. The suspension is reportedly being appealed.
Scott County Attorney Ron Hocevar said at the news conference that his office is working on securing charges against Russell.
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