A Pennsylvania woman was criminally charged on Friday, a day after her 9-year-old adoptive daughter was found dead in a river.
According to The Daily Courier, state police have charged Sarah Shipley with multiple offenses, including aggravated assault, child endangerment, corruption of minors, simple assault, harassment, and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault as of Monday.
Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele mentioned that additional charges are expected for Shipley and Kourtney Eutsey, age 31, after four other children were removed from their home by Children and Youth Services, revealing a 6-year-old boy in need of medical attention.
The boy remains hospitalized in stable condition. Aubele said he had a body mass of zero.
In the case of Renesmay Eutsey’s death, charges against Shipley include criminal homicide and conspiracy to commit criminal homicide. Kourtney Eutsey faces charges of homicide, abuse of a corpse, child endangerment, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, and concealing the child’s death.
Aubele previously explained that Shipley was Renesmay Eutsey’s court-ordered custodian and is in a relationship with Kourtney Eutsey.
DA Aubele described Kourtney Eutsey as the household’s resident caretaker, who had adopted at least one of the other children. Within their familial setting, the children called Kourtney Eutsey “mom” and Sarah Shipley “dad,” reflecting their relationship.
Both Shipley and Kourtney Eutsey reported Renesmay Eutsey missing from their Dunbar residence on Thursday, only for Kourtney Eutsey to later guide officers 20 miles away to her body in the Youghiogheny River.
The discovery was prompted after two girls and a boy in the home allegedly told police they saw Kourtney Eutsey kill the child. A report states that a girl overheard Kourtney Eutsey and another adult discussing a plan to take Renesmay Eutsey to a river “far, far away.”
She claimed she heard the victim crying before witnessing Kourtney Eutsey and the other adult screaming at her and kicking her in the stomach.
While the girl told police that she saw Renesmay Eutsey being placed in a bag, Kourtney Eutsey stated that she vomited and choked to death. Kourtney Eutsey allegedly also said she did not call for help because the child was skinny and she had burned herself in the tub days earlier.
Renesmay Eutsey reportedly weighed 45 pounds. Her injuries — including cigarette burns — were consistent with other accounts about what happened in the home, according to Aubele.
Shipley remains hospitalized after allegedly overdosing at the family’s home on Friday. She will be formally arraigned following her release.
Officials are expected to file additional charges against Kourtney Eutsey and Shipley on Monday.
[Feature Photo: Pennsylvania State Police]
