NIBLEY, Utah — A Cache County couple has been arrested and face Homicide and Child Abuse charges following the death of their 18-month-old daughter, in which investigators found a severe pattern of neglect leading up to the infant's death.
Mitchell and Carrie Murray of Nibley were arrested on Wednesday, nearly nine months after the infant's death, which was determined to be caused by dehydration and malnutrition.
The Cache County Sheriff's Office said first responders were called by Carrie Murray on the morning of March 19, saying that she had found her daughter dead inside a crib. Although dispatchers attempted to have Murray begin life-saving measures, she said she was a nurse and believed her baby was beyond help.
When speaking with officers, Carrie claimed she and her husband had last seen their daughter alive approximately 16 hours earlier, and that it was Mitchell who had last checked on the girl.
Inside the child's bedroom, investigators reported a space heater was running, and set to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, noticeably warmer than the rest of the home. The crib was also covered in a mesh canopy the Murrays claimed was to prevent their daughter from climbing out.
Court documents show the girl was wearing long-sleeved, footed pajamas and a sleep sack when she was found, and that her crib was littered with old pieces of food and several child cups. Underneath the mattress was trash, wrappers, and large pieces of waffles.
During a search of the home, investigators obtained baby monitor camera video that allowed them to establish what had occurred during the four days before the girl's death.
Detectives claimed the child was outside of the crib for just 6 hours and 15 minutes during those four days, and only spent time with another human being for 49 minutes, and was only given diaper changes 6 times.
Carrie Murray told police that the last time she saw her daughter was at 3 a.m. on Mach 17, two days before the death was reported. Murray said that at that time, she changed her daughter's diaper and gave her a snack. The mother said she didn't see her daughter the rest of the day, even after returning home from work.
The following day, Carrie said she was awoken at 4 a.m. by her daughter's cries. However, as she was getting ready for work, she left the girl for her husband to take care of. Upon returning home from work later that night, Carrie did not check on or see her daughter.
According to Carrie Murray, it was at 10 a.m. the next morning that she found her daughter dead.
When asked about her daughter's food and water intake, Carrie said she was given a sippy cup in the morning and evening, and would eat waffles for all of her meals. She also claimed that the child only ate inside the crib because the family wasn't "table people."
Mitchell Murray told police that he works at home, and while he was working, his daughter would have "crib days," where the girl would spend the entire day, and was only checked by her father two or three times a day.
