A former daycare worker, aged 18, in Savage, Minnesota, has confessed to the intentional suffocation of two infants, with one of the children tragically passing away in the previous autumn, according to police reports.
The employee, identified as Theah Loudemia Russell, is now in custody and is set to face a charge of second-degree murder, along with additional allegations, as confirmed by Savage Police Chief Brady Juell.
Formal charges are anticipated to be filed on January 15, 2025.
Russell, who worked at Rocking Horse Ranch, placed a 911 call on September 22, 2025, to report that a child—identified later as 11-month-old Harvey Muklebust—was unresponsive.
Emergency services arrived, and the child was subsequently transported to a medical facility, where he was pronounced dead.
Prior to this incident, on September 19, police had responded to the daycare following reports of a 4-month-old infant found unresponsive and exhibiting signs of bleeding from the nose and mouth, as stated by the police chief.
Just two hours before the emergency call about Muklebust, that same child had been discovered in a similarly alarming condition, but no 911 call had been made at that time.
Chief Juell mentioned that Russell's actions and behavior at the scene aroused suspicion, prompting investigators to focus their attention on her as the main person of interest.
Investigations into Russell's history revealed a pattern of attention-seeking behaviors, including making frivolous calls to emergency services, engaging in fire-starting incidents, and displaying erratic conduct towards other children, according to Juell.
During a police interview, Russell admitted to suffocating Muklebust and the other toddler as part of an act aimed at garnering attention.
Juell added that she confessed to having attempted to murder the first child on two distinct occasions and to the murder of Harvey Muklebust.
Russell had only been employed at the daycare for a mere three weeks when Muklebust died, as reported by the police chief.
In response to the infant’s death, Lisa Weiss, the owner of Rocking Horse Ranch, declined to comment when approached by WCCO.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services suspended the daycare's license on September 23, and that suspension is currently under review.
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