{"id":11248,"date":"2026-01-19T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/?p=11248"},"modified":"2026-01-18T11:50:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T17:50:09","slug":"savage-daycare-worker-charged-in-infant-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/savage-daycare-worker-charged-in-infant-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Savage: Daycare Worker Charged in Infant Death"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Savage, Scott County, Minnesota<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trfnews.i234.me<\/a>) A Savage daycare worker is facing three felony charges after an infant died.<\/p>\n<p>Theah Loudemia Russell, 18, of Savage, is charged in Scott County District Court.<\/p>\n<p>The charges include second-degree murder and two assault counts.<\/p>\n<h2>Charges filed<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Murder in the second degree, without intent, during a felony: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revisor.mn.gov\/statutes\/cite\/609.19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Minn. Stat. \u00a7 609.19<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Assault in the first degree, great bodily harm: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revisor.mn.gov\/statutes\/cite\/609.221\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Minn. Stat. \u00a7 609.221<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Assault in the third degree, substantial bodily harm: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revisor.mn.gov\/statutes\/cite\/609.223\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Minn. Stat. \u00a7 609.223<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What the complaint describes<\/h2>\n<p>According to the criminal complaint, police were called on September 22, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>The call reported a 10-month-old infant who was not breathing at the daycare.<\/p>\n<p>Officers found the baby limp and pale, with blue color around the mouth.<\/p>\n<p>Medics tried life-saving care and rushed the child to a hospital.<\/p>\n<p>The infant was later pronounced dead at 11:34 a.m., the complaint says.<\/p>\n<p>The same daycare also had an earlier emergency on September 19, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint says a 5-month-old infant stopped breathing for almost a minute.<\/p>\n<p>The baby also vomited blood while in Russell\u2019s care, investigators allege.<\/p>\n<p>The infant went to a hospital and was later released.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint says the 5-month-old returned to the daycare on September 22.<\/p>\n<p>That child then had another emergency with bloody mucus and breathing trouble.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators say this happened shortly before the 10-month-old was found unresponsive.<\/p>\n<p>A child abuse specialist told police the signs fit choking or a blocked airway.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11470\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11470\" style=\"width: 244px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11470\" src=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Theah-Loudemia-Russell-244x300.png\" alt=\"Theah Loudemia Russell\" width=\"244\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Theah-Loudemia-Russell-244x300.png 244w, https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Theah-Loudemia-Russell.png 387w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 244px) 100vw, 244px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11470\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Theah Loudemia Russell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Interview and re-enactment<\/h2>\n<p>Detectives interviewed Russell on January 13, 2026, the complaint states.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators allege she admitted to choking both infants.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint says she put her fingers into the babies\u2019 throats.<\/p>\n<p>She allegedly said the crying \u201cscared\u201d her.<\/p>\n<p>She allegedly said she wanted the baby to stop breathing.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators also say she used the same two fingers each time.<\/p>\n<p>Detectives reported a re-enactment of the alleged acts.<\/p>\n<p>They said Russell appeared calm and clear-minded during the walk-through.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint says she did not cry or ask about the family.<\/p>\n<h2>Court status<\/h2>\n<p>Court records show bail was set at $3,500,000, with conditions.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Christian S. Wilton issued the bail order, the filing says.<\/p>\n<p>An order to keep Russell in custody was signed on January 15, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Charles Webber signed the detention order, court records show.<\/p>\n<p>The case was filed on January 15, 2026.<\/p>\n<h2>Helpful resources<\/h2>\n<p>Public court records may be available through <a href=\"https:\/\/mncourts.gov\/access-case-records\/mcro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Minnesota Court Records Online<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Parents can also review provider licensing at the state\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/licensinglookup.dhs.state.mn.us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DHS Licensing Lookup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Licensing guidance is posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/mn.gov\/dhs\/partners-and-providers\/licensing\/child-care-and-early-education\/index.jsp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Minnesota DHS<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Scott County Attorney\u2019s Office page is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scottcountymn.gov\/2329\/County-Attorney\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Information about Children\u2019s Minnesota is at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.childrensmn.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">childrensmn.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m Chris Harper reporting for <a href=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TRF News<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Savage, Scott County, Minnesota (trfnews.i234.me) A Savage daycare worker is facing three felony charges after an infant died. Theah Loudemia Russell, 18, of Savage, is charged in Scott County District Court. The charges include second-degree murder and two assault counts. Charges filed Murder in the second degree, without intent, during a felony: Minn. Stat. \u00a7&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/savage-daycare-worker-charged-in-infant-death\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Savage: Daycare Worker Charged in Infant Death<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12],"tags":[770,9956,772,9281,1994,9958,1150,9954,3245,9953,9283,9951,9952,9959,9955,9957,2031],"class_list":["post-11248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","tag-charged","tag-child-assault","tag-crime","tag-daycare","tag-death","tag-dhs-licensing-lookup","tag-infant","tag-infant-death","tag-mcro","tag-minnesota-daycare","tag-savage","tag-savage-mn","tag-scott-county","tag-scott-county-court","tag-second-degree-murder-charge","tag-theah-loudemia-russell","tag-worker","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11248"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11475,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11248\/revisions\/11475"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}