- A Cache County couple were arrested for investigation of murder in their daughter's death.
- 18-month-old Ruby Marie Murray died from malnutrition and dehydration on March 19, police say.
- Parents Mitchell and Carrie Murray are accused of "a severe pattern of neglect."
NIBLEY, Cache County — A Cache County couple has been arrested in connection with the death of their 18-month-old daughter, who investigators say was left alone most days and died due to complications from malnutrition and dehydration.
Mitchell Chesnut Murray and Carrie Marie Murray, both 31, were each booked into the Cache County Jail for investigation of aggravated murder and aggravated child abuse.
Ruby Marie Murray died on March 19. She weighed approximately 17 pounds at the time of her death. Her mother told police she found her daughter deceased in her crib, according to a police booking affidavit.
As emergency crews were responding, 911 dispatchers tried to get Carrie Murray to perform life-saving efforts, but "Carrie informed dispatch that she was a nurse and she believed the child to be beyond help," the affidavit states. When paramedics arrived, they told police that they believed rigor mortis had already set in.
"Follow-up investigative steps conducted by the Cache County Sheriff's Office identified a severe pattern of neglect leading up to the infant's death," the sheriff's office said.
Using baby monitors and surveillance cameras, detectives learned that during the last four days of Ruby's life, she was only out of her crib for a little more than six hours, and "the total time another human being was identified as being present with the child was 49 minutes and 15 seconds," according to the sheriff's office.
Investigators also identified just six diaper changes during those 96 hours.
Deputies further noted in the affidavit that "the child's crib was in a bedroom where there was a space heater running, which was set to 68 degrees Fahrenheit and was noticeably warmer than the rest of the home.
"The interior of the crib was very dirty with old pieces of food. Underneath the mattress was trash, wrappers and … waffle particles," according to the affidavit.
"The findings of the medical examiner confirmed that the infant died due to complications arising from malnutrition and dehydration," the sheriff's office said.
When questioned by detectives, Carrie Murray said the last time she saw her daughter before her death was on March 17, about 3 a.m., but did not see her on March 18 due to work.
"Carrie was asked by investigators about (Ruby's) food and water intake and were informed (Ruby) was provided a sippy cup in the morning and the evening. Carrie also informed investigators that (Ruby) was usually fed waffles for all of her meals and she typically ate them in her crib because they are not table people and (Ruby) never liked someone to feed her," the affidavit says.
Carrie Murray also admitted to not viewing the baby monitor app in months, according to investigators. When asked about the daily routine of her 4-year-old son, Murray allegedly told investigators she was unsure, including when he woke in the morning.
Mitchell Murray told police he works from home and is on his laptop a lot, both working and playing games on his PC when he is not working.
"Mitchell explained what he termed 'crib days.' He explained that crib days were days where (Ruby) remained in her crib all day while he worked. He claimed this would occur one to two days per week," but he claimed he would check on her two or three times during the day, the affidavit alleges.
Investigators reviewed surveillance video from inside Ruby's room for the final four days of her life. They found that during eight hours on March 14, Carrie and Mitchell Murray had 36 minutes of interaction with Ruby in her bedroom, gave her food once and changed her diaper once, according to the affidavit.
On March 15, Ruby was out of her crib for just under 90 minutes the entire day, investigators say.
"On March 16, there was footage of the entire day. … Review of that footage showed (Ruby) was allowed out of the crib for 4 hours and 44 minutes. The majority of that time (Ruby) was left alone on her bedroom floor. The total interaction Carrie, Mitchell and (their son) had with (Ruby) on March 16 was 9 minutes and 42 seconds," according to the affidavit.
On March 17, Ruby was out of her crib for about five minutes for the entire day, for two diaper changes, the affidavit says.
Investigators say Ruby was never taken out of her crib on March 18.
"The total interaction Carrie, Mitchell and (their son) had with (Ruby) on March 18 was 49 seconds. (Her) diaper was not changed on March 18," according to the arrest report.
Detectives who watched all four days of the video surveillance footage also noted that Ruby "did not exhibit normal sleeping patterns for a child and did not seem to differentiate night from day. It was also observed that there was loud rock/pop music played through the Amazon Alexa in (Ruby's) room that appeared to interfere with her ability to sleep at times," the affidavit says.
During a second interview, Carrie Murray allegedly admitted that she and Mitchell Murray interacted with Ruby even less during the previous fall, that they bathed her about once a week, and that Ruby had only eaten baby food once or twice and mainly received waffles, quesadillas or a sippy cup, according to the affidavit. She also stated that Ruby needed music to sleep and Green Day and Fall Out Boy would typically be played in her room all night.
The sheriff's office alleges that the Murrays showed "a depraved indifference to human life, and knowingly engaged in conduct that created a grave risk of death" to Ruby, "thereby causing her death by failing to provide her with the appropriate nutrition and hydration leading to her death from dehydration and undernutrition."
