6-Year-Old Found At 0% Growth Rate As PA Foster Mom, Housemate Charged After 9

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the two women accused of killing 9-year-old Renesmay Eutsey, whose body was found stuffed into a tote and dumped in the Youghiogheny River, as officials also revealed a 6-year-old in the home had a growth rate at the 0th percentile, Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele announced.

The DA filed notices of aggravated circumstances against Kourtney Malinda Eutsey, 31, and Sarah Ann Shipley, 35, making them eligible for capital punishment if convicted of first-degree murder, Aubele said.

Both women pleaded not guilty during a nearly three-hour preliminary hearing on Friday, Nov. 14, their first appearance in court since being charged in early September, court records show.

The Abuse Discovery That Sparked the Death Penalty Filing

Renesmay weighed just 45 pounds and had bruises, cigarette burns, and signs of extreme malnourishment, the DA said. “It’s very apparent that this girl suffered,” Aubele said.

Four children were removed from the Third Street home on the day the homicide investigation began. A medical evaluation showed a 6-year-old child in severe neglect with a growth rate at the 0th percentile, prompting immediate hospitalization, officials said. The child remains in stable condition. Three other children were placed in foster care outside Fayette County, the DA said.

The Missing Child Call That Became a Murder Case

Troopers were called to the home at 12:41 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3, after 9-year-old Renesmay was reported missing, police said.

Renesmay Eutsey

Pennsylvania State Police

Shipley told investigators she put the children to bed around 2:30 a.m. and woke around noon to find Renesmay gone, police said. She claimed another child mentioned the girl talked about running away and said the bedroom window was cracked open, investigators said.

Surveillance video later showed a vehicle arriving at 3:53 a.m. with someone entering and exiting the house multiple times, according to court documents and the DA.

Children Reveal What Really Happened

When Children & Youth Services interviewed the kids, one child broke down crying and apologized for lying, saying, “I’m never going to see my baby sister again because she’s in heaven,” police paperwork said.

Another child told troopers that their mother, Kourtney Eutsey, killed Renesmay and put her in a tote, troopers said.

A sibling said the last time she saw Renesmay alive was around 10 p.m. Tuesday when she heard her screaming and crying, investigators said. She said she overheard Eutsey and Shipley planning to take the girl “to a river far, far away” and later saw her inside a black garbage bag placed into a tote, police said.

Confession and River Dumping

Eutsey admitted she placed Renesmay’s body in a garbage bag and tote before dumping it along the Youghiogheny River near Smithton, troopers said. She led investigators to the location around 3:30 a.m. Thursday where the girl’s body was found partially submerged, police said.

Eutsey told investigators Renesmay had burned her back in a bathtub a week earlier and never received medical treatment, court documents said. She said the child vomited and began choking Tuesday night and that she attempted CPR for 30 minutes but did not call 911 because she feared getting into trouble over the burn and the girl’s condition, investigators said.

Charges Against Both Women

Eutsey faces charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, concealing the death of a child, and abuse of a corpse, court records show. She was moved to Washington County Jail to be separated from Shipley, filings said.

Shipley faces 14 charges, including criminal homicide, conspiracy, aggravated assault of a child under 13, endangering the welfare of children, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and concealing the death of a child, docket filings show.

Biological Mother Speaks

Renesmay’s biological mother, Christina Benedetto, said she had not seen her daughter in four years after losing custody, Benedetto told reporters. She said Eutsey, a blood relative, had also been caring for her three other children, Benedetto said.

“Before she went with them, she had so much light in her eyes,” Benedetto said. “Instead of saying they couldn’t handle her anymore, they chose the worst possible thing,” she said.

She also said, “Why put her in a tote, in a garbage bag, and throw her away like she didn’t mean anything? She meant everything to us,” Benedetto said.

The investigation remains ongoing, state police said.