Minnesota Daycare Employee Charged With Brutal Killing Of Baby Boy

An 18-year-old former daycare worker been arrested in connection with the death of an 11-month-old boy and attempts to harm another infant at Rocking Horse Ranch Childcare facility in Savage, Minnesota.

The suspect, identified as Theah Loudemia Russell, was taken into custody on Wednesday morning following a three-month investigation by the Savage Police Department. Russell, who had been employed at the daycare for only three weeks prior to the incidents, is accused of intentionally suffocating two children in separate events during September 2025, allegedly as part of attention-seeking behavior, according to a report from local outlet KSTP.

The first incident took place on September 19, 2025, when Savage police responded to a 911 call from the daycare reporting that a 4-month-old baby girl was not breathing. Blood and foam was also observed under the child’s mouth and nose.

The infant regained consciousness and was released from the hospital after treatment, with the incident initially attributed to a medical issue. The child returned to the facility on September 22 and appeared healthy, but was found unresponsive again that morning.

Her mother immediately took her to a local hospital, where she was treated and released without police being notified that time.

Just two hours later on that same day, another 911 call was made from Rocking Horse Ranch reporting that 11-month-old Harvey Muklebust was unresponsive and not breathing in his crib, with an apparent blood-like substance on his mattress. First responders attempted lifesaving measures, but Muklebust was pronounced dead at the hospital, just five days before his first birthday.

The daycare was immediately closed following Muklebust’s death, and its license was suspended by the Minnesota Department of Human Services on September 23.

During the investigation, authorities identified Russell as the common factor in all three incidents. Savage Police Chief Brady Juell stated in a press conference Wednesday that Russell had the last contact with each affected child immediately before the events and exhibited suspicious behavior at the scenes.

A background check revealed a documented history of attention-seeking actions, including making nonsensical 911 calls, intentionally setting fires at a church camp, and erratic behavior toward other children.

“Based on the totality of the evidence in this three-months investigation, we have probable cause to believe Theah Russell intentionally suffocated these children on three occasions to seek attention. That third incident tragically resulted in the death of Harvey Muklebust,” Chief Juell said.

Theah Loudemia Russell
Photo: KSTP

Russell confessed to the acts not long after she was taken into custody, police confirmed. “I want to be perfectly clear, however: Theah Russell has confessed to the attempted murder of our first victim on two occasions and to the murder of Harvey Muklebust,” Juell said during the press conference.

Russell is currently being held at the Scott County Jail. Formal charges have not yet been filed as of this report, but Scott County Attorney Ron Hocevar indicated during the news conference that his office is working to file them, most likely by the end of the day Thursday.

The anticipated charges include second-degree murder for Muklebust’s death and attempted murder related to the incidents involving the other child.

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