Prosecutors in Pennsylvania are pursuing the death penalty against two women accused of killing a 9-year-old girl in their care and abandoning her body in a tote bag along a riverbank.
Kourtney Eutsey, 31, and Sarah Shipley, 35, have been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 9-year-old Renesmay Eutsey.
According to the Fayette County District Attorney’s Office, prosecutors filed notices of aggravated circumstances in the case, making both defendants eligible for the death penalty if they are convicted of first-degree murder.
Renesmay was reported missing on Sept. 3, prompting a search by Pennsylvania State Police. Investigators ultimately discovered her body in a bag on the shore of the Youghiogheny River in Fayette County, as Law&Crime previously reported.
Authorities say Eutsey was a blood relative of Renesmay, as well as her legal guardian and foster mother, and was also caring for her own young children at the time. Shipley was likewise a legal guardian of the child.
As officers prepared to search Eutsey’s home for signs of Renesmay, a young child in the residence allegedly approached them and apologized for not being truthful about what had happened, according to an affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime.
The child said she believed she would never see her baby sister again because she was “in heaven,” and alleged that Eutsey killed Renesmay and placed her body in a tote. The child also recalled overhearing Eutsey talking with another adult — later identified as Shipley — about taking Renesmay to a river “far, far away,” the affidavit states.
The document further notes that the child left her room after hearing Renesmay screaming and crying, thinking the girl needed help. She then allegedly witnessed Eutsey and Shipley yelling at Renesmay and kicking her in the stomach. The sibling told investigators that she missed her sister and struggled to accept that she was gone.
When Renesmay’s body was found on Sept. 4, officials said she weighed only 45 pounds.
Authorities reported that the girl showed clear signs of abuse and neglect, including cigarette burns. One burn may have become infected, yet investigators say she never received medical care.
Prosecutors allege that other children in the home were also abused in what law enforcement described as torture.
Two of the children were missing teeth, which a doctor concluded were likely pulled out with pliers. The children told the doctor that Shipley had removed their teeth, according to local ABC affiliate WTAE.
Although the children were homeschooled, authorities said an 11-year-old girl in the residence did not know how to read. A 6-year-old boy was reportedly chronically malnourished and dehydrated when examined by doctors.
The remaining children who were in the home when Eutsey and Shipley were arrested have since been placed with another family member, officials said.
Renesmay’s biological mother, Christina Benedetto, expressed disbelief and grief over how her daughter was allegedly treated.
She questioned why anyone would place her child in a tote and throw her away “like she didn’t mean anything,” emphasizing that Renesmay was deeply loved and “meant everything” to her family.
