❓WHAT HAPPENED: A former Minnesota daycare employee confessed to intentionally suffocating two children, one of whom died in September.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Former daycare employee Theah Loudemia Russell and her victims, including 11-month-old Harvey Muklebust.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The abuse occurred in September 2025 at Rocking Horse Ranch daycare in Savage, Minnesota.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Harvey was such a blessing to our family, and his death has left a tremendous hole in our hearts.” – Julie Muklebust
🎯IMPACT: Rocking Horse Ranch’s license was suspended, and Russell faces second-degree murder charges, with additional charges expected.
Theah Loudemia Russell, a former employee at a daycare in Savage, Minnesota, has admitted to “intentionally suffocating” two children under her care, one of whom—11-month-old Harvey Muklebust—died in September 2025. Savage Police Chief Brady Juell confirmed that Russell is currently in custody and faces a second-degree murder charge in connection with Harvey’s death, with more charges expected to be filed.
On September 22, 2025, Russell placed a 911 call from Rocking Horse Ranch daycare reporting that a child was not breathing. The infant, identified as Harvey Muklebust, was rushed to the hospital but was soon pronounced dead. At the time, Russell had been working at the facility for only about three weeks.
Investigators learned that three days earlier, police responded to the daycare after reports of a four-month-old baby found unresponsive with blood around their nose and mouth. The child had been involved in a similar incident hours prior, but the police had not been called on that occasion. Chief Juell said Russell’s actions and demeanor at the scene immediately drew suspicion, making her the focus of the investigation. Further probing revealed Russell’s prior pattern of “attention-seeking behavior”, which included making “nonsensical” 911 calls, displaying erratic conduct, and even starting fires.
In interviews with police, Russell confessed that she had suffocated both children “in an attention-seeking act.” Chief Juell stated that she “confessed to the attempted murder of our first victim on two occasions and to the murder of Harvey Muklebust.” Rocking Horse Ranch’s license was suspended on September 23, 2025
At a press conference, Harvey’s grandmother, Julie Muklebust, expressed the family’s profound loss, saying, “Harvey was such a blessing to our family, and his death has left a tremendous hole in our hearts.” A fundraiser opened by friends of the Muklebusts described him as “pure happiness and sunshine from the moment he was born,” who “filled everyone’s hearts with joy when he giggled.”
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