Carrie and Mitchell Murray admitted felony charges after their daughter died from malnutrition and dehydration in the family home.
NIBLEY, Utah — When Carrie Marie Murray called 911 to report that her 18-month-old daughter was unresponsive, she identified herself as a nurse but said she believed the child was already beyond help, according to court records.
The emergency call on March 19, 2025, marked the start of a death investigation that would examine not only the response that morning but also how Ruby Marie Murray had been treated during the days and weeks before it. Carrie Murray did not perform the lifesaving measures requested by dispatchers, reports citing the probable cause statement said. Investigators later found extensive evidence of malnutrition, dehydration, isolation and limited care. On July 2, 2026, Carrie Murray, 32, and her husband, Mitchell Chesnut Murray, 31, pleaded guilty to child abuse homicide and aggravated child abuse.
The pleas shifted the legal focus from whether the parents were criminally responsible to what punishment they should receive. Prosecutors dismissed aggravated murder charges that had carried more severe possible consequences. Both remaining counts are second-degree felonies punishable by one to 15 years in prison. The couple is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 11 in Utah’s 1st District Court. The judge will decide whether the sentences on the two counts will overlap or be served consecutively.
Carrie Murray’s medical background made her actions during the emergency call a striking part of the case, but authorities did not rely on occupation alone to establish guilt. The investigation included the medical examiner’s findings, the toddler’s weight, the condition of her crib and bedroom, statements from both parents, and a detailed review of baby-monitor and security-camera records. Those sources, investigators said, documented a severe pattern of neglect rather than an unforeseeable medical crisis.
Ruby weighed about 17 pounds at the time of her death. The medical examiner determined that she died from complications of malnutrition and dehydration. Authorities said her body temperature was about 83 degrees when she was found, despite the bedroom being about 77 degrees. A space heater made the room warmer than the rest of the home. Charging documents alleged that the parents exposed Ruby to excessive heat, darkness, isolation and sleep deprivation, as well as a lack of adequate food, water and basic care.
During questioning, Carrie Murray told detectives that sudden infant death syndrome was her “biggest guess” about the cause of Ruby’s death, although she acknowledged that Ruby was older than is typical in such cases. According to the charges, she said, “It was her time I guess.” She also said, “I feel guilt really strong — I feel no guilt over this.” Investigators contrasted those statements with the evidence recovered from the home and the medical conclusion that the child died from prolonged nutritional and fluid deprivation.
Carrie Murray told investigators she had last seen Ruby early March 17 and had not seen her March 18 because she was at work. She also acknowledged that she had not checked the baby-monitor application for months and had changed its settings to receive fewer alerts. Her account suggested that she relied on Mitchell Murray to provide care while he worked from the house. The video evidence showed that on March 18, Ruby remained in the crib all day and had only 49 seconds of combined interaction with her parents and an older child.
Mitchell Murray told police he spent much of the day using a laptop for work and also played computer games when he was off duty. He used the phrase “crib days” to describe days when Ruby remained in the crib while he worked. He said that happened once or twice each week and claimed he checked on her two or three times. Detectives’ review of the recordings showed that on the day before her death, he entered to leave a sippy cup and a waffle at about 11:57 a.m. and did so again at about 6:29 p.m.
Investigators said Ruby was not removed from the crib on March 18 and did not receive a diaper change. Across the four days before her death, she spent only six hours and 15 minutes outside the crib. Another person was present with her for 49 minutes and 15 seconds in total. Authorities identified six diaper changes during the entire 96-hour period. The measurements allowed investigators to describe the neglect in precise terms and to show how brief the child’s contact with caregivers had become.
The food described by the parents was also central to the investigation. Carrie Murray said Ruby usually received a sippy cup in the morning and another in the evening. She told detectives the child generally ate toasted waffles, often inside the crib, and had eaten conventional baby food only once or twice. According to an affidavit, she said the family members were “not table people” and that Ruby did not like others feeding her. Investigators found pieces of old waffles and other food scattered through the crib.
Authorities described the sleeping area as very dirty. Several cups and a large amount of food debris were inside, while trash, wrappers and more particles were beneath the mattress. A mesh cover over the crib prevented a child from climbing out. Loud music from bands including Green Day and Fall Out Boy played repeatedly in the room, the parents told investigators. They said the music was intended to help Ruby sleep, but detectives believed it sometimes interfered with her rest.
Ruby’s recorded behavior indicated that her sleep cycle had become disordered. Investigators said she appeared unable to distinguish night from day. During the hours before her death, surveillance captured her moving and making noises described in the charges as crying, whimpering and gasping. The available reports do not identify any medical call, in-person assessment or other intervention before Carrie Murray entered the room the following morning and contacted emergency dispatchers.
Mitchell Murray reportedly became emotional when detectives confronted him with the limited amount of contact shown on video. He told them “it should never have happened,” according to the charges. The sheriff’s office arrested both parents in December 2025, about nine months after Ruby’s death. Authorities said the delay reflected the work required to analyze the recordings, obtain medical findings and establish what had happened in the home before filing the original aggravated murder allegations.
The reduced pleas do not erase the factual admissions involved in the case. By pleading guilty to child abuse homicide, each parent accepted criminal responsibility for causing a child’s death through abuse or neglect under the charge presented in court. Their pleas to aggravated child abuse separately address the serious harm and dangerous conditions Ruby experienced. The public reports reviewed for this article do not indicate that the judge is required to follow a particular sentencing recommendation.
The case also presents a contrast between professional knowledge and conduct in the home. Carrie Murray’s nursing experience was relevant to what she told dispatchers and to investigators’ assessment of her awareness, but the court record summarized publicly does not establish that her job created a separate criminal charge. The admitted offenses apply to both parents and are grounded in their treatment of Ruby, the conditions documented by investigators and the resulting death.
Friends and family remembered Ruby as a sweet, curious child whose smile and laughter brought joy to others. Her obituary said “Wake Me Up When September Ends” by Green Day was used as her lullaby. The sentencing hearing will give the court its next opportunity to address the consequences of the parents’ admitted conduct. Until then, both face potential prison terms that could extend for years, depending on how the judge structures the sentences.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 5, 2026.