Minnesota police have arrested an 18-year-old daycare worker who allegedly confessed to intentionally suffocating two children, resulting in the death of one infant.
Authorities identified the suspect as Theah Loudemia Russell, a former employee of Rocking Horse Ranch, a daycare facility where the incidents occurred. Police said Russell admitted to suffocating 11-month-old Harvey Muklebust and another child in what investigators described as an “attention-seeking act.”
According to police statements, Russell confessed to the attempted murder of one child on two occasions and to the murder of Harvey Muklebust. Muklebust was found unresponsive at the daycare on September 22, 2025, and later died at a hospital.
Investigators said Russell had been employed at the daycare for approximately three weeks before the child’s death.
Police also disclosed that two days before Muklebust was found unresponsive, a four-month-old child at the same facility was discovered in distress with blood present. Authorities said police were not contacted at the time of that earlier incident.
Law enforcement officials further revealed that Russell had a documented history of attention-seeking behaviour, including making “nonsensical” emergency calls, involvement in fire-starting incidents, and displaying erratic behaviour toward other children.
The case remains under investigation as authorities review daycare protocols and the circumstances surrounding the earlier incident. Russell is expected to face multiple criminal charges in connection with the alleged acts.
