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ONEIDA COUNTY, Idaho — Months after a triple murder in Idaho that left two young girls orphaned, the case remains unsolved, and the father of one of the victims wants justice.
On April 5, a man was picking up his dogs from an Oneida County home when he noticed a toddler sitting alone on the front steps. Upon further investigation, the man discovered the bodies of Trent Christensen and his father Brent. Trent's fiance, Yavetee Carter, was discovered later by police, dead in the kitchen.
A toddler and a small baby were found in the home, and authorities said they may have been there for more than 20 hours alone with the victims. Carter's body was slumped over a bouncy chair with her newborn baby girl sitting in it.
"Yavette had raced to the baby and was covering the baby," said Oneida County Sheriff Jeff Samrad. "And we believe (the little girl) ate dog food, actually, when she got hungry."
A dog fighting operation was discovered with 64 pit bulls in the backyard of the home upon further investigation. Dozens of marijuana plants were also found.
Carter's father, Bryan Brown, said his daughter had considered leaving her boyfriend, Trent, and that she didn't approve of his decision to fight pit bulls. Brown said he didn't know if Carter knew about the 38 marijuana plants in the home.
"Trent was planning on trying to grow a few to make a little extra money to fee the dogs," Brown said.
Brown has been frustrated with the lack of leads in the case. Due to the illegal activities involved, authorities said that people have been afraid to give any information. Brown has been relocated for his safety, but he said he wishes the case would get resolved.
"I just wish somebody would come forward that would at least help," Brown said.
Brown thinks he knows who is responsible and that the motive deals with a feud involving Trent years ago. Authorities are aware of the feud and haven't ruled anything out, but they are waiting for evidence to be processed before they make an arrest.
"These are people who made some bad choices," Brown said. "Did they deserve to be executed like that? No."
Sheriff Samrad recently confirmed that Brown's daughter was an innocent victim who was killed because she was a witness. The two young girls have been placed in the care of relatives. Brown said he hopes the two year old won't remember what she saw.
