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Arrest in death of infant at day care in Savage
An arrest has been made in the death of an infant at a Savage day care. FOX 9's Karen Scullin has more.
SAVAGE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A former employee at Rocking Horse Ranch day care in Savage has been charged with the death of an infant boy.
Theah Russell is charged with one count of second-degree murder for the death of 11-month-old Harvey Muklebust. She is also charged with one count of first-degree assault and one count of third-degree assault for inflicting great bodily harm to another infant girl.
Charges detail infant's death
What we know:
According to the charges, on Sept. 22, around 10 a.m., authorities responded to Rocking Horse Ranch for an infant who was not breathing.
A police officer arrived and found the infant, identified as Harvey, who was white and bluing around his mouth, with no pulse. Harvey was taken to the hospital, and died shortly after.
Court documents say that while the officer was on scene, he learned from a day care worker that another infant, a girl, had experienced a similar medical incident.
On Sept. 19, the then 5-month-old infant girl had stopped breathing for a short time, but began breathing again before paramedics arrived. She was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a brief, resolved unexpected event (BRUE).
Then, when the infant girl returned to the day care on Sept. 22, she was found vomiting with blood shortly after being dropped off.
Officers met with a well-known child abuse specialist, who was concerned about possible abuse of the infant girl. The specialist said the infant girl would be normal and healthy when dropped off at the day care, but then suffered multiple medical incidents while at the day care.
Court documents say the common denominator between Harvey's death and the infant girl's medical incidents was Russell, who cared for both victims during this time.
Timeline of medical incidents at Rocking Horse Ranch
Timeline:
Court documents lay out a timeline of the medical incidents of the infant girl, and the moments leading up to Harvey's death.
On Friday, Sept. 19, at 6:30 a.m., the infant girl was dropped off at the day care by her father. She was given a bottle at 9 a.m. and put down for a nap at 11 a.m. Around 2 p.m. the infant woke up screaming and Russell picked her up to burp her and saw her vomiting with blood.
On Monday, Sept. 22, the infant girl was dropped off at day care by her parents. Harvey was also dropped off at the day care that morning. Later that morning, the infant girl is vomiting with bloody mucus around her mouth, and her mother picks her up. Harvey was put down for a nap, and wasn't falling asleep, so Russell reportedly patted his back until he fell asleep. Later, Russell "spontaneously" tells another day care worker to check on Harvey.
That coworker comes out carrying Harvey, who appears blue and non-responsive. Russell then calls 911.
On Sept. 24, detectives interviewed Russell, who said she had worked at Rocking Horse Ranch day care for about two months. She was not able to clearly state the timing of the medical incidents but denied hurting the infants.
Russell's arrest
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Savage police announce arrest in Rocking Horse Ranch day care death
The Savage Police Department announced Wednesday afternoon it has arrested an 18-year-old woman in the September 2025 death of an infant boy at a day care. The woman, identified by authorities as Theah Russell, is expected to be charged with second-degree murder in the death of 11-month-old Harvey Muklebust. She will also be charged with attempted murder in two incidents involving another child at the day care.
Dig deeper:
On Jan. 13, Russell was arrested and taken in for an interview.
In the interview, Russell allegedly admitted to choking Harvey, stating that he was crying in his crib so she "choked him, and he stopped breathing."
Russell then allegedly admitted to doing the same thing to the infant girl, but got scared when the girl turned purple. She did the same thing to the infant girl the following Monday. Russell said she stopped because she got scared again.
Russell allegedly said she wouldn't look at Harvey while choking him because the change in the infant girl's face "really scared her."
The charges state that Russell allegedly choked the infants by putting her fingers down their throats.
While court documents don't state a motive behind Russell's action, Savage Police Chief Brady Juell said in a press conference Wednesday that Russell choked both children on three separate occasions to seek attention.
Authorities say Russell had a history of attention-seeking behavior and was known to make 911 calls reporting nonsensical incidents, then hanging up. She had also started fires at a church camp, and had a history of erratic behavior against other children.
What's next:
Russell's bail is currently set at $3.5 million, and her first court appearance is set for Feb. 4.
The Source: This story uses previous FOX 9 reporting and information from a Scott County criminal complaint.