Rescuing 911. Yes. My name is my mom and uh my daughter, I just found her dead. How old is your daughter? 13 months. This chilling 911 call on December 2nd, 2008, marked the beginning of one of the most shocking investigations in the history of Rusk County, Texas. The peaceful morning of the small town was disrupted by the whale of sirens.
Two ambulances raced to the call at maximum speed, hoping to arrive in time. Parents in panic sometimes misjudge the condition of the injured child. But upon arrival, the paramedics had to give way to the police. Unfortunately, the little baby lying on the floor was dead. I was sitting right here at this desk where we are now and I received a phone call from the lieutenant of the Rust County Sheriff’s Department CD division and he told me that they had a dead baby.
Gave me the location and he said, “You need to come out here.” recalls Detective William Brown. What Detective Brown saw at the crime scene could break even the most experienced investigator. Very strange. Very strange. And you’ve got a small child lying dead on the floor. Apparently a victim of some kind of brutality. I don’t know a better word to describe it than just brutality.
And you immediately ask yourself what’s happened here? What took place? What or who could do something like this to a a baby? The crime was so horrible that the court hearing had to be moved to another county to find an unbiased jury. This is a story not only about monstrous violence against a baby.
This is a case of systemic failures that allowed a person with a criminal past to end up near a defenseless baby. about prohibited substance addiction that poisoned the minds of young parents and about strange beliefs that led to one of the most brutal crimes in Texas history. Friends, before I continue this difficult story, I would like to ask you to write in the comments which city you are watching this video from.
Also, don’t forget to like, subscribe to the channel, and share this video with friends. This story needs to be heard so that similar tragedies don’t happen again and so that the memory of this little angel keeps on in our hearts. On November 12th, 2007, a beautiful baby girl named Amora Bane Carson was born in Texas.
From day one, she became a joy for her young mother, 17-year-old Jessica Carson. Amora was a charming baby with a cheerful personality who almost never cried. Her biological father, Arlon Mutina, was serving in the armed forces overseas and had only seen his daughter a couple of times before he and Jessica broke up. Amora grew up like all children.
At 4 months, she learned to roll from her back to her stomach. At 6 months, she could sit up, and by 8 months, she was already trying to crawl. By 13 months, the little girl was taking her first independent steps, although she still couldn’t walk without support. In January 2008, when Amora was just 2 months old, Jessica met 18-year-old Blaine Milum.
The young couple quickly fell in love with each other. And at their prom party, Blaine proposed to Jessica. With tears of joy, she accepted. The man wasn’t bothered that she already had a child from another man. It seemed that Blaine accepted little Amora as his own daughter. Despite his youth, he happily spent time with Amora and was proud of her small achievements.
That was a joke. Wake him up. Oh, the word dad was the first word Amora said and she said it specifically to Blaine. She was a great little girl. She was beautiful. She was beautiful. I wasn’t walking yet, but she was beautiful. Uh her first words were, “Daddy, miss her. I miss her. There ain’t nothing I can do.
Jessica soon left her mother’s house and moved with her daughter to Blaine’s. Now they lived like a real family. The baby girl blossomed and bass in attention and her proud mother dressed her up and took pictures of her. Blaine took many walks with Amora, showed bright pictures and read fairy tales.
It was a happy time for Amora and Jessica. Blaine had a troubled past. Prior to his relationship with Jessica. He was convicted of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl, and he was later convicted also when their relationship with Jessica had already begun. He broke into an 11year-old girl’s house. Um, and it was an 11-year-old girl who had been homeschooled.
He broke in and he actually put some um dirty pictures. I would say it’s Rome made Fred graphic material uh very graphic graphic material backs with uh notations uh on it with a Sharpie uh meet me out back we can do these kind of things. It was clearly a criminal solicitation of a minor trying to to encourage her to engage in sex acts uh with him which is a felony offense uh the defense made a lot of he never actually touched her and that’s that’s a fair point.
He never actually touched her, but he was clearly trying to solicit her into sexual activity. And uh he had actually been convicted of that. Uh and Jessica Carson had been present when he was convicted and given his warnings and admonitions about what he had to do as a sex offender. Uh there was a mistake and an error because he was actually supposed to be in jail at the time of this offense.
He was forbidden to be around children, but the authorities failed to enforce this ban. In the spring of 2008, the couple became interested in a Ouija board and a illegal substance. Jessica, who had experienced her father’s suicide at the age of 10, wanted to communicate with him through the board.
Blaine’s father also recently died, so they’ve been were talking to their dads together. Jessica gradually convinced herself that their flat was possessed by evil spirits, so they moved in with Blaine’s mother. In relation to that time, there is testimony from Jessica’s family and friends that Blaine began to control Jessica’s every move and her social media.
She stopped leaving the apartment on her own, began to call her friends less frequently, and from October, she stopped communicating completely with her mother. Although it is possible that she stopped communicating with her mother because the spirits told her that her mother had something to do with her father’s death. She also later concluded that Blaine himself was possessed by an evil spirit based on his facial expression, tone of voice, and something that wasn’t the Blaine I knew.
Blaine didn’t try to dissuade her. On the contrary, he began manipulating her fears. On December 1st, 2008, high on illegal substance, Blaine woke Jessica with terrible news. Amora was possessed by a demon because she walks. In his opinion, she was too small to walk. According to him, God had spoken to him and told him how to perform an exorcism.
Jessica, completely submissive to Blaine and under the influence of illegal substance, agreed. What happened next defies any rational explanation. Blaine locked himself in the bedroom with Amora while Jessica stayed in the living room watching TV. She heard her daughter’s screams but didn’t intervene. Later, she claimed that Amora reminded her of possessed children from horror movies and supposedly bit Blaine, and that Blaine told her that Amora hit herself with a hammer, causing the damage.
After the so-called exorcism, the couple went to Walmart, taking the severely injured Amora with them. On the way, Blaine discussed the possibility of selling his soul to the devil to free the girl from demons. Jessica said she would rather her daughter go to heaven now than stay with two possessed people. Blaine replied, “Okay, if that’s what you want.
” In this careless way, little Amora’s fate was sealed. Blaine turned the conversation as if Jessica had initiated the decision. Later, when Amoro was already dead, the couple didn’t immediately call for help. Instead, they went to a pawn shop trying to pawn an electric chainsaw for money and then filled up their car. Only several hours later, at 10:37 a.m.
on December 2nd, did Blaine call 911. When investigators arrived on the scene and began their examination, what they discovered shocked even the most experienced of them. The body of little Amora was evidence of unimaginable cruelty. They tried to make up a story that they had accidentally discovered Amora’s body in the bathroom while returning from a walk around the property on the morning of the 2nd of December.
But investigators had already seen that they were dealing with a brutal murder. Hours later, Blaine and Jessica were arrested. Well, I I brought the um closing argument or part of the closing argument that I used in the Carson trial uh because there’s a moment in time that to me really captured uh what was occurring that moment of of December 2nd, 2008.
And I these that I’ve got four photos graphs up here all together and they’re all one moment in time around 9:00 a.m. that morning. Shortly after 9:00 a.m. at the crime scene out in the carport laying in the dirt out there in the fifth is the car seat which I submit goes to show intent.
Amora was never going to ride ride in that car seat anymore. It was taken out of the car and thrown in the dirt. in the pawn shop. He had some old tools like one of them was an old electric chainsaw that he was trying to pawn for money. Now, there’s conflicting stories over why they were doing that, whether they were on the run or whether they were trying to get money for the alleged exorcism or things like that, but he’s trying to pawn these tools.
And Jessica Carson is with him. And at that very moment in time, Amora is laying in that filth and dirt on that floor out there. Right after the transaction, both are seen casually browsing the shelf for DVDs as if it were the most normal of days. One of the first things he does is he ends up picking Amora’s foot up, and it basically lifts Amora all the way up across her back. She’s just stiff.
She’s just solid stiff at that time. That’s at 10:37 a.m. This is at 9:05. Yeah, by 9:05 she was probably already stiff, but scientists are real careful about uh when Rigger said it’s in. Uh and the the medical examiner told us though, and I’ll show you in a minute a timeline, that it was hours, not minutes.
We don’t know whether that’s 4 hours or whether that’s considerably more than 4 hours. Jessica bought a soda and cigarettes. All this while her child was already dead for hours. It was not until they returned home that they called 911. The medical report by Dr. Keith Pinker determined the cause of death as homicidal violence due to multiple blunt force injuries and possible strangulation.
But this dry medical definition doesn’t convey the horror of what the little girl went through. Her skull was so severely traumatized that the fractures connected with each other like puzzle pieces. Her brain was torn and severely damaged. Her left arm and leg had spiral fractures, indicating they had been twisted until the bones broke.
Her torso was either hit with a blunt object or squeezed until the ribs and sternum broke. In total, she had 18 rib fractures. Her body was covered with no fewer than 24 distinct bite marks. Her head and face were so scraped and bruised that all injuries merged into one massive trauma. There was bleeding in her eyes around the optic nerves and around the jugular vein indicating strangulation.
The underside of her tongue was lacerated from blunt force trauma. Particularly shocking was the condition of her intimate body parts. They were so severely damaged that they represented one extensive wound. Two wounds merged into one. These injuries clearly indicated sexual assault committed with a blunt object. When you actually uh see a picture of the horror that was inflicted on her, in my opinion, it repels a person.
It’s a she’s she’s just had her humanity robbed from her, taken from her. And so, she’s just it it’s just so graphic the violence that was inflicted upon her that that you don’t want to, but you just have to rail back for just a second. Whereas when you see her on that in that dirty floor in that doorway, you want to go running to her.
You want to pick her up. You know, I’m a licensed mortician in Texas also. So, you know, if I’m not working here, I’m working at at the local funeral home. So, you know, I’ve I’ve seen death, natural, unnatural, but this one by far is the worst. On December 11th, detectives conducted a full search of the couple’s trailer.
They found walls covered with holes that Blaine had made by punching them or throwing knives. They discovered illegal substances and a propane torch. The actual scene of the murder was also established and additional evidence was found. 2 days later, Blaine contacted his relative from jail and asked her to help dispose of evidence he had buried under house.
Instead, the woman called the sheriff. Police retrieved a pipe wrench, which had been hidden in a plastic bag under house. Forensic analysis revealed components of Astroglide lubricant on the wrench, which was also found on Amora’s diaper. Also, forensics confirmed that the blood on the items collected in the south bedroom belonged to Amora, which indicated physical and sexual abuse.
Additional investigation revealed traces of ropes and cords with knots on the child’s clothing, indicating that Amora had been tied up before being tortured. Dr. Robert Williams, a forensic odontologist, compared the bite marks found on Amora’s body with dental impression models obtained from Blaine, Jessica, and Blaine’s brother. Dr.
Williams established with reasonable certainty that Blaine matched eight bite marks found on Amora. He could exclude Jessica from all but one bite mark and could exclude Blaine’s brother from all bite marks. Kevin Roy gets on scene and uh this is what I say about the the human mind just shutting down.
He looks and he sees a mora’s body and it’s covered in what we later know are 24 back marks where you have the upper arch and the lower arch. Dr. Williams uh called them uh yeah sounds odd to say but some of the best impressions he’d ever seen especially on skin cuz skin’s a poor medium for bite marks.
And and the other thing is Blaine Mumm had a very unique bite. We called it the M uh series where his teeth made an indenture that was very unusual. So in a closed population group, we were really able to say that that’s him. Of course, we were also able to confirm two of the bites with DNA. Amore’s injuries were so severe that it was impossible to determine which one was the last, and no specific cause of death could be established.
Several injuries on their own could have been fatal. Thank you, Mark. An East Texas couple is behind bars tonight, accused of beating a 13-month-old baby to death Tuesday morning at a home near Lake Cherokee off County Road 2125. Authorities say they found the baby severely beaten by a hammer and other objects. Investigators say, as KTV7’s Lisia Shockley explains, the couple allegedly told police demonic possession led to this crime.
In court today, Jessica Carson and Bla Milm were charged with beating 13-month-old Amora Carson to death. You’re looking at a 13-month old baby that’s had his head bashed in with a a hammer, bite marks all over the baby. That’s gruesome. Authorities say Carson, Amore’s mother, told them the baby suffered from demonic possession, and Milm performed an exorcism to get them out.
I can’t believe that a that a man can convince a woman child is possessed with demons and you know that’s the mother of that child. She should be there to protect that child and stop all this. Police say the couple went to a pawn shop in Henderson to sell some tools to pay a priest to perform an exorcism. So in the meantime undoubtedly the livein stepfather decided to get the demons out his cell.
Blaine Milum was charged with the following counts. aggravated murder, murder with violence, firstdegree sexual penetration, and seconddegree abuse of a corpse. The crime was so horrific that the trial had to be moved to another county just to find an unbiased jury. In May 2009, his trial began. Prosecutors presented compelling evidence.
numerous bite marks on Amora’s body, eight of which matched Blaine’s teeth. A pipe wrench and traces of lubricant, which Blaine tried to hide. Surveillance video showing the couple visiting a pawn shop and a gas station after the child’s death. Evidence that they didn’t immediately call for help, but instead tried to find money to escape.
Blaine’s defense tried to mitigate his guilt by arguing about his mental disability, IQ, in the low7s, lack of education beyond fourth grade, and being under the influence of illegal substances at the time of the crime. Attorney Steven Jackson characterized him as a person with childlike thinking. You know, I can only speak from the experience of getting to know Blaine.
And I spent a month with him with the defense team prior to the trial. And I spent 3 months sitting right beside him in trial every day. Uh it’s the longest trial of my career. And what I saw was a child. I saw a child who wanted to talk about cartoons, who wanted to talk about childish things like my children do.
Uh this is not a devil. children are not evil like this. Uh that this was the act of someone who had an intelligent grand intelligence about them. Then this wasn’t blind. But we watched cartoons. We watched Scooby-Doo cartoons. Uh a cartoon from my childhood. I And I remember sitting there queuing it up on the uh computer for him.
And all I could think about was this kid has no idea what he’s facing. He doesn’t appreciate the gravity of the situation where anyone else would be shaking and trembling, praying for their life. Blaine wanted to finish the cartoon when they were knocking on the door with a verdict. Despite this, the jury found Blaine guilty on all counts.
He was sentenced to death under Texas’s Law of Parties. They have come back with a verdict, and that verdict for Blaine Milm is he has been sentenced to die. Uh the verdict was just read in the courtroom. Uh as uh it was read, Milm’s sister and his mother broke down crying. Uh defense attorney Steve Jackson uh grabbed Milm who began sobbing.
Uh each of the jurors, you could tell, were very um solemn in the duty that they had to perform. And they worked late into the night just like they did last week when they found Milm guilty of capital murder. But they did come back with a death sentence. After a full investigation, Jessica also stood trial. Despite trying to distance herself from the crime by calling Amora that baby during interrogations, the evidence of her complicity was convincing.
At least one bite mark matching Jessica’s teeth was found on Amora’s body. Additionally, she took no action to stop the exorcism, even though she heard her daughter’s screams. Jessica admitted her role in her daughter’s death and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. She is currently serving her sentence in a women’s prison in Texas.
Blaine Milum became the youngest offender in the Texas death row at the time. His execution was originally scheduled for 2019, but the date was later rescheduled on January 21st, 2021. This execution also didn’t take place. It was stayed and the case was remanded to a lower court for further proceedings. A new execution date has not yet been set.
He is currently being held in the Palinsky unit in Livingston, Texas. A small copper heart-shaped plaque at Rosewood Park Cemetery commemorates the short but bright life of Amora. She was a happy child with her whole life ahead of her. What happened to her should never happen again. Friends, if you are as touched by Amora’s story as I am, please give it a like and spread the word.
A little angel must be remembered. Rest in peace, little angel Amora. Dear friends, we will continue with an equally interesting case and intense investigation. The moment she would scream, he would take her and shove her into the water. And this would just go on and on. And I mean, he he wanted me to do it.
He wanted me to shove her head under water. Then I found myself doing that and hitting her with a belt. Mankind knows many stories about children who became victims of violence. But the case of little Riley and Sawyers stands out even against this grim background. It’s not just about the monstrous cruelty with which the 2-year-old girl was treated, but also how methodically her own parents tried to erase all traces of her existence.
They not only deprived her of life, they deprived her of her name, her identity, her right to be mourned by a loving grandmother, her right to a grave where flowers could be placed. For almost 3 months, the body of the little girl was in a plastic container. First in a storage shed of her killers, then hidden from the entire world, nameless, forgotten, betrayed by those who should have loved her more than anyone else in the world.
For the authorities, she was just a dry line in a report. Unidentified corpse number 27, an administrative designation behind which a person’s identity, story, love, and hopes disappeared. Only thanks to the unquenchable love of her grandmother did this line in the police report once again become a human with a name with a past and most importantly the right to grieve.
Dear friends, before I continue telling this difficult but important story, I would like to ask you to write in the comments which city or country you are watching this video from. Also, don’t forget to like, subscribe to the channel, and share this video with your friends. This story must be heard so that such tragedies do not repeat themselves and so that Riley’s memory lives in our hearts.
If you care about child protection, please consider becoming a sponsor of the channel. Your support helps us continue to cover these important stories and raise awareness about child safety issues. Riley Anne Sawyers was born on March 11th, 2005 in the town of Mentor, Ohio. The goldenhaired girl with light blue eyes was the result of a relationship between two teenagers.
Kimberly Dawn Trener was only 15 years old when she became pregnant by her classmate, Robert Thomas Sawyers. The family lived in Robert’s mother’s house, Cheryl Sawyers, who became Riley’s primary caregiver. The grandmother adored her granddaughter, spent all her free time with her, read her fairy tales, and prepared her favorite dishes.
A special bond formed between them which would later play a crucial role in this story. Despite the difficult family environment, little Riley grew up as a charming, full of life child. With golden hair and expressive eyes, she charmed everyone around her with her sincere, infectious smile. Cheryl often recalled how her granddaughter knew how to enjoy the simplest things and could play for hours with an ordinary box or a piece of fabric, inventing her own games.
At not quite 2 years old, Riley was already showing character. She was sociable, curious, and surprisingly stubborn. She especially loved books with bright pictures and constantly asked to have her favorite stories read again. Among her toys, a plush Nemo fish held a special place. The movie Finding Nemo was her favorite.
The girl’s eyes would light up with a special shine when the blue fish Dory appeared on the screen. Like many children her age, Riley loved music and dancing. According to memories, she would start swaying and clapping her hands as soon as she heard music. She had an infectious, high, and clear laugh that brought a smile to everyone around her.
In Cheryl’s house, Riley most loved helping in the kitchen. Of course, the help of a 2-year-old child usually creates more mess than usefulness, but the grandmother treasured these moments of closeness. The girl especially enjoyed kneading cookie dough and licking the spoon with remnants of chocolate glaze. The relationship between the young parents gradually deteriorated.
Robert began dating another woman named Catherine Prister. And in October 2006, after accusations of domestic violence against Kimberly, he left the house for good. Afterwards, Robert married Catherine. A decisive turn in Riley’s fate occurred when Kimberly immersed herself in the virtual world of the computer game World of Warcraft.
It was there that she met Roy Clyde Ziegler Jr., a person who would forever change her daughter’s fate. Online relationships quickly grew into real ones. And in May 2007, Kimberly made a fatal decision. She moved with 2-year-old Riley to Spring, Texas to be with Royce. Just a month later, they got married. Grandmother Cheryl begged Kimberly to leave Riley in Ohio, sensing trouble.
But Kimberly was uncompromising. In the Texas house, a real hell began for Riley. Ziggler had rigid ideas about child rearing. He demanded absolute obedience from the 2-year-old girl to say yes, sir and no, ma’am. Always use please and thank you. Any minor violation was followed by punishment. Ziegler was dissatisfied that Kimberly was not strict enough in disciplining her daughter and took this upon himself.
As it later turned out, his own father had used the same cruel methods of upbringing. And now he was reproducing this vicious cycle of violence. Robert’s family and grandmother Cheryl tried to find out how the girl was living. Called Kimberly, but each time received excuses. Riley was sleeping, sick, or busy. Gradually, all contacts were completely cut off.
They tried to find Riley and obtain the right to see her. They appealed to the authorities, hired a lawyer, but the system was inexurably slow. July 24th, 2007 began like an ordinary summer day in Texas. For most children, it was a time of carefree games and summer joys. But for little Riley, this was the last dawn she would see in her short life.
The morning in the suburban Houston home began with Royce’s usual screams. 2-year-old Riley woke up frightened and did not immediately respond to his call. This was enough to provoke the first burst of stepfather’s rage. Not getting an immediate response from the sleepy girl, Royce burst into the children’s room and dragged the baby from the bed.
He demanded that she look him in the eyes and say, “Yes, sir.” But the frightened child only trembled and cried. In her video recorded confession, Kimberly said that they disciplined the girl with Royce from early morning. At first, these were hits on the palms and buttocks, but as the day continued, the violence became increasingly brutal.
He really wanted to stay home and make sure I was disciplining Riley. Okay. Like he had told me, “Look, she gets bad, you go for the belt. You don’t take it. Riley got into something. I’m not sure what. And he started with it. Go get the belt. I mean, it just escalated from there. He said, “We need a breaker.
” So, he told me to go run some water in the bathtub. Some cold water in the bathtub. and I did and he said, “Okay, the next time she screams, we’re going to take her into the bathtub.” By noon, Royce had taken out two leather belts, one for himself, the other for Kimberly. “Then the real nightmare began.
” “He made me hit her, too,” Kimberly admitted, barely holding back tears. He said that if I wasn’t strict enough, he would show me how it’s done. Riley stood in the middle of the living room, her small body shaking with sobs as mother and stepfather took turns hitting her with belts. With each blow, new marks appeared on her delicate skin.
After several hours of upbringing, the girl was so exhausted that she could barely stand. Ziegler decided it was time for water procedures. He carried Riley to the bathroom. In a plastic bathtub with cool water, a scene unfolded that made even seasoned investigators shudder. Ziegler repeatedly submerged the child’s head underwater, each time holding her longer and longer.
Kimberly stood nearby and did not intervene. Little Riley fought as best she could. Her tiny hands frantically clung to the edge of the bath, her helpless legs beating the water. With each immersion, her resistance became weaker. During this she said, “I love you.” But neither these words, nor the pleading look of eyes wide with horror, nor the tiny hands stretched out in a last hope of salvation.
Nothing could awaken Kimberly’s maternal instinct. When the water procedure ended, Ziegler dragged the half- aliveive girl out of the bath and threw her on the living room floor. Wet, trembling, choking, he demanded that she stand up and show respect. In a fit of rage that the girl was not following his commands, Ziegler grabbed Riley by her wet hair and forcefully threw her across the room.
Her small body flew several meters and hit the tiled floor with a dull thud. Kimberly later called the sound of this blow the most terrible sound I have ever heard. After this blow, Riley no longer cried. She lay motionless, her eyes open, but her gaze becoming increasingly absent. By midday, Riley’s condition had become critical. Her eyes were rolling.
Her breathing had turned into shallow, uneven breaths, her skin taking on a bluish tint. Any adult with minimal concern for a child would have immediately called an ambulance. Instead, Ziegler decided to bring her to her senses with a cold shower. He carried the almost lifeless body of the girl back to the bathroom and turned on the icy water.
Under these dreams, little Riley’s heart stopped forever. When Kimberly entered the bathroom and saw that her daughter was no longer breathing, she did not rush to the phone to call for help. Together with Royce, they spent almost an hour discussing what to do with the body and what story to tell others. And he closed the curtain and came out and said that we need to clean up and get rid of the belts.
get rid of the pillow, get rid of anything. He wanted to scrub her down and with bleach and make sure there were no fingerprints on her. He had me get in his truck and we drove to the Walmart. Kimberly later claimed that the death was accidental and the result of discipline that went too far, but the autopsy told a different story.
Riley had three skull fractures, numerous bruises all over her body, marks from belt strikes, and damage characteristic of drowning. According to forensic experts, the force of head trauma was comparable to falling from the roof of a multi-story building. Instead of seeking help, Kimberly and Royce began methodically destroying all traces of Riley’s existence.
They went to Walmart, bought a plastic container, wrapped the girl’s body in garbage bags, and placed it in the container. For almost 2 months, the box with the body was stored in a shed before they dropped it from a bridge into Galveastston Bay. Kimberly even forged legal documents claiming that Riley had been taken from their custody due to alleged sexual abuse.
To everyone who asked about the girl, they told different stories. Shocking, but the disappearance of a 2-year-old child did not raise any questions with child protection services or law enforcement. On the 29th of October 2007, a fisherman found a blue plastic container with suspicious contents in Galveastston Bay and called the police.
Inside was the body of a child. It was dark. It wasn’t cold cold. It was maybe in the high 40s, 48, 49. It was a clear night. We got off and uh I went up to the it was a plastic tote that you get like at Walmart or Home Depot or Lowe’s somewhere like that. Uh he pointed it out to me. Uh he wouldn’t approach it again. I went up.
He said that he had seen a a child’s shoe and that when he opened the container, it was flashing at him. So, I knew what kind of shoes he was talking about. Uh, I’d bought some for my niece. I go over there. I pull the top off and I see the shoe. It’s flashing. She was double bagged. and trash bags.
I grabbed the the plastic and I pulled it open and over the rest of her lay. Uh we immediately backed out, closed it and called for ID and C Marine Division uh cuz they had to get a boat in the water. Due to the condition of the body, it was impossible to identify the child. Police assigned the remains the temporary name Baby Grace and the identification number 27.
Forensic experts established that the child died from serious head trauma. Forensic artist Lois Gibson was involved, who created a criminalistic drawing depicting the approximate appearance of the victim during her lifetime. When the image of baby Grace was distributed through the media, something unexpected happened.
The Galveastston County Sheriff’s Department received several messages that the description of the girl, aged 2 to 3 years, long, light, or light brown wavy hair, matched the description of Maline Macan, a British girl who had disappeared without a trace in Portugal 6 months earlier. Her disappearance in May 2007 had become one of the most famous criminal cases in the world.
American police took this version seriously, contacting Interpol, the FBI, and Portuguese detectives. However, after careful study, a sheriff’s department representative stated, “We are sure that this is not her.” After the police distributed the reconstruction of the unknown child’s face through the media, something amazing happened.
Cheryl Sawyers, Riley’s grandmother on her father’s side, browsing the internet in her home in Ohio, stumbled upon the image of Baby Grace. She instantly recognized the features of her granddaughter. Cheryl immediately contacted the Galveastston police and reported that the unknown child might be her missing granddaughter.
She provided Riley’s photographs and a Robert Sawyer’s DNA sample for comparison. The test confirmed baby Grace was Riley Anne Sawyers. On November 21st, 2007, Kimberly and Roy were arrested. Today’s date is 11:23 07. It is 11:12 p.m. And your name is Royce Clyde Ziggler. Is that correct? The second. Kimberly, that that’s your wife, correct? Yes, sir.
How’d you get along with Riley? We got along good. You ever spanked her? No sir. Never respect you. Not that I remember. Rush. We’ve been doing good. We’ve been doing good so far. Everything’s been rock and roll pretty good. Don’t lie to us. I’m not lying to you, sir. Yes, you are. I’ve told you guys everything I’ve known.
No, we got a dead baby here. And I’m going to tell you right now, baby Riley is baby Grace. Read my lips. I know that. And you know that. I don’t know that. Yes, you do. Yes, you do. No, I don’t. I swear to God, I do not know that. You’re going to be charged today with injury to a child and tampering with evidence. Shortly before Thanksgiving, Ziegler attempted suicide, leaving a note, “My wife is not guilty of the sins I have committed.
” However, in court, he claimed that he was in another room when Riley died. Have you changed your mind about talking to us and or asking us some questions? Yes. Okay. So, you are here voluntarily? Yes. Did you request this meeting? Yes. Okay. There was an argument between me and Kim.
I basically was giving Kim an ultimatum to basically to fix the entire problem because I was sick and tired of going out public and Riley was running a muck. I wasn’t feeling so well. So, I stayed home from work that day and uh Kim and Riley woke up and they went out to do some errands. They came back. Next thing I know, I hear screaming.
And the thing is, you know, it’s not my nature to hurt children. I never planned on it. And I wasn’t in the room the day when all that stuff was going on. Do you know how she died? I wasn’t even in the room. All I remember is I heard my name called out that day. I ran in there, saw Riley on the floor of purple. I I am not at all convinced that there’s not more to tell.
And the reason I say that is because there’s been number of times in the interview today when we have reached you have good memory to a lot of things but when we reach something that’s critical or crucial moment I don’t remember I had a I blacked out. Do you have anything that you would like to add to this interview, Roy? That number one, either we have failed to ask you or two, you would like to volunteer.
That’s as much as I can remember. If I remember more, I’ll come to you. On February 2nd, 2009, after just 90 minutes of discussion, the jury found Kimberly guilty of premeditated murder. She received life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. On November 6th, 2009, Royce Ziegler was also found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment without the right to early release.
After the completion of court proceedings, Riley’s body was finally handed over to her grandmother. Cheryl was able to bury her granddaughter with dignity in Ohio near the graves of the girl’s greatgrandparents. The narrow island in Galveastston Bay, where a fisherman found the body of three-year-old Riley Anne Sawyers, is now officially called Riley’s Island.
The Hitchcock City community decided to honor Little Riley’s memory in this way. Riley’s story makes us think about how differently society reacts to children’s disappearances. When the unidentified body of a little girl was temporarily linked to the case of Meline McCann’s disappearance, it highlighted a striking contrast.
The disappearance of one child attracts the attention of the entire world while another can disappear without a trace and no one will raise the alarm. Why do some children receive worldwide attention while others remain invisible to the system? How can we ensure that every child, regardless of social status, race, or circumstances, receives equal protection and care? Rest in peace, Little Angel Riley.
I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who watched this video all the way through. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this case in the comments, and please don’t forget to subscribe to my channel. I’d also like to send a special thank you to everyone who has donated to support my channel. Your support means the world to me and gives me the motivation to keep making new and interesting investigations for you, my wonderful viewers.
Thank you all so much. [Music]
