Girl, 9, Was Allegedly Tortured and Found in Tote Bag Submerged in River — Foster Parents May Face Death Penalty

Pennsylvania prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against two women accused of torturing and murdering a 9-year-old foster girl in their care, after authorities discovered the child’s body in a tote bag submerged in the Youghiogheny River earlier this year.

The Fayette County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday that it intends to pursue the death penalty for Kourtney Eutsey and Sarah Shipley if the Pittsburgh-area foster parents are convicted of first-degree murder.

“This morning, we filed Notices of Aggravating Circumstances against Kourtney Eutsey and Sarah Shipley in the Renesmay Eutsey homicide case,” the district attorney’s office, located about 60 miles south of Pittsburgh, said in a news release. “If convicted of first-degree murder, the Commonwealth will seek the death penalty.”

Eutsey, 31, and Shipley, 35, were arrested in September and charged with criminal homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and concealing the death of a child.

Prosecutors say they are seeking the death penalty based on several aggravating factors. In a Fayette County court filing, they allege that Shipley and Eutsey “knowingly created a grave risk of death,” that the alleged “offense was committed by means of torture,” and that “the victim was a child under 12 years of age.”

Both women remain in custody without bond, according to local outlets including CBS News, TribLive and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Renesmay Eutsey was first reported missing in early September. According to CBS News, state troopers became suspicious of her foster parents after another foster child in the home allegedly told investigators they saw Eutsey and Shipley beat Renesmay, place her body in a tote bag and then put that bag inside a larger garbage bag.

Citing a criminal complaint, the Post-Gazette reported that this foster child told police they had seen the foster parents “[kick] her in the stomach” after hearing a commotion outside their bedroom.

According to the complaint, the child told investigators that “[Renesmay] is dead now,” though they did not fully understand the concept of death until a family member tried to explain it. “I’m never gonna see her again. I miss her,” the child reportedly said, according to the Post-Gazette. “She probably is alive. She might be alive.”

Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele said investigators found clear indications of abuse during the autopsy of Renesmay’s roughly 45-pound body. The girl appeared malnourished and had bruises and burns.

“It is very apparent that this girl suffered,” Aubele said, according to local station WPXI.

Renesmay was biologically related to both Eutsey and Shipley, according to TribLive, which also reported that the two women were caring for five children in total. The four surviving children have since been removed from the home and placed with another foster family, the outlet reported.