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

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

The Fayette County District Attorney’s Office announced its intent on Friday to seek the death penalty against Kourtney Eutsey and Sarah Shipley, if the Pittsburgh area foster parents are convicted on first-degree murder charges.

“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 roughly 60 miles south of Pittsburgh, said in a news release on Friday. “If convicted of first-degree murder, the Commonwealth will seek the death penalty.”

PEOPLE previously reported that Eutsey, 31, and Shipley, 35, were both 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 said they are seeking the death penalty due to aggravating circumstances, alleging in a Fayette County court filing that Shipley and Eutsey “knowingly created a grave risk of death,” that their alleged “offense was committed by means of torture,” and that “the victim was a child under 12 years of age.”

The two women continue to be held in custody without bond, according to CBS News, TribLive, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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

Citing a criminal complaint, the Post-Gazette reported that the foster child who allegedly told police they saw Eutsey and Shipley harm Renesmay claimed they witnessed the foster parents “[kick] her in the stomach” after hearing a commotion outside their bedroom.

According to the complaint, the foster child told police that “[Renesmay] is dead now” — but the child didn’t fully understand the concept of death until a family member attempted to explain it to them. “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.” 

PEOPLE previously reported that Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele said investigators found signs of abuse while performing an autopsy on Renesmay’s roughly 45-pound body, saying the girl appeared malnourished with bruises and burns. 

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

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

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.