Murder of Riley Ann Sawyers

"Baby Grace" redirects here. For the fictional murder victim, see Outside (David Bowie album).
Riley Ann Sawyers

Riley Ann Sawyers
Born Riley Ann Sawyers
(2005-03-11)March 11, 2005
Mentor, Ohio
Died July 24, 2007(2007-07-24) (aged 2)
Spring, Texas
Cause of death Homicide by beating
Body discovered October 29, 2007
Galveston Bay, Texas
Resting place Ashes buried at Mentor Municipal Cemetery, Mentor Lake County, Ohio, U.S.A.
Other names Baby Grace
Parent(s) Robert Thomas Sawyers (father)
Kimberly Dawn Trenor (mother)
Relatives Catherine Priester (stepmother)
Royce Clyde Zeigler, Jr. (stepfather)
Sheryl Sawyers (grandmother)
Ray Sr. Sawyers (grandfather)
Braden Michael Sawyers (brother)
A facial reconstruction (left) and a photograph of Riley Ann (right).

Riley Ann Sawyers (March 11, 2005 – July 24, 2007) known as Baby Grace prior to her identification, was a two-year-old blonde American girl who was beaten to death by her mother and stepfather. Her body was later found in Galveston Bay, Texas.

When her body had been found, police began a nationwide effort to identify her.[1]

Riley Ann's identity was confirmed when her paternal grandmother, Sheryl Sawyers, notified police after seeing a composite sketch. Her remains were positively identified through DNA testing on November 30, 2007.[2][3][4]

Home environment

Riley Ann was the daughter of Robert Thomas Sawyers and Kimberly Dawn Trenor. Her mother became pregnant at the age of 15. Her father dropped out of high school during his junior year.

The family lived in Mentor, Ohio, with Robert's mother, Sheryl, who was Riley Ann's primary caregiver. During this time, Riley Ann's parents grew apart and were no longer a couple. They all continued to live in the same home. Riley Ann's father began dating a woman named Catherine Priester, whom he later married.

In October 2006, alleging physical abuse and having filed a domestic violence charge against Trenor, Sawyers left the home.

In May 2007, Trenor and Riley Ann moved to Spring, Texas. Trenor married Royce Clyde Zeigler, Jr. on June 1, 2007.[5][6]

Zeigler believed Riley Ann should be disciplined to say "Sir" and "Ma'am" to adults, and that corporal punishment was the best means of disciplining a child. Believing that Trenor was not properly administering the beatings, Zeigler himself beat the child.[6]

Death of Riley Ann

In a videotaped confession and signed affidavit on July 24, 2007, Trenor admitted she and Zeigler beat Riley Ann with two leather belts and held her head underwater in the bathtub. Trenor also stated that Zeigler picked Riley Ann up by her hair and threw her across the room, causing her head to slam into the tile floor.[5] Riley Ann, having been injured by the beating, was unable to stand up when ordered to do so. “She didn’t have control of her legs,” Trenor stated. She maintained that the death was accidental and that it was "a case of discipline that went too far."

When they realized Riley Ann was dead, Trenor and Zeigler went to Walmart to buy a Sterilite plastic storage container. They wrapped Riley Ann's body in garbage bags and stuffed it into the plastic container. They kept this container in a storage shed for about two months before dumping it into Galveston Bay, where it was discovered by a local fisherman, Robert Wayne Spinn, on October 29, 2007. A coroner discovered skull fractures on the body, and the investigation then proceeded as a homicide case.[1]

Shortly before Thanksgiving Day in 2007, Zeigler attempted suicide by overdosing on blood pressure medication and prescribed anti-depressant pills. He left a suicide note stating, "My wife is innocent of the sins I committed". However, he later claimed during his trial that he was in another room of the house when Riley Ann died, and therefore could not have been guilty.[7]

Trenor and Zeigler eventually took responsibility for Riley Ann's death. They had initially been charged with injury to a child and tampering with evidence.

On January 14, 2008, the cremated remains of Riley Ann were turned over to her family in Ohio, after a Texas judge ruled that evidence collected during the autopsy would be sufficient for trial.[8]

Murder convictions

The Mountain View Unit, where Trenor is incarcerated.

Trenor was convicted of capital murder on February 2, 2009. It took the jury 90 minutes to reach a verdict. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 38 years.[9]

She is incarcerated in the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas. Her first parole eligibility date is November 24, 2047.[10]

Zeigler was charged with capital murder and evidence tampering. On November 6, 2009, he was convicted and received an automatic sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole. The sentence was automatic because the state did not seek the death penalty.[7] He is incarcerated in the Wallace Pack Unit near Navasota, Texas.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 Associated Press (November 5, 2007). "'Baby Grace' Sketch Unleashes Wave of Tips". ABC News.
  2. Sara McDonald (November 30, 2007). "DNA confirms Sawyers is ‘Baby Grace’". Galveston Daily News.
  3. Harvey Rice (November 30, 2007). "DNA test confirms Riley Sawyers is Baby Grace". Houston Chronicle.
  4. "Resolved Cases". www.doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  5. 1 2 Sean Callebs (November 26, 2007). "Police: Mother describes beating of 2-year-old, hiding her body". CNN.
  6. 1 2 Harvey Rice (December 3, 2007). "Riley's death fits 'stepparent syndrome' mold". Houston Chronicle.
  7. 1 2 Juan A. Lozano (November 6, 2009). "Stepfather convicted in death of 'Baby Grace'". Associated Press.
  8. M.R. Kropko (January 15, 2008). "Ashes of 'Baby Grace' Flown to Ohio". ABC News.
  9. "Mom found guilty of murder in 'Baby Grace' case - CNN.com". CNN. February 3, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  10. "Trenor, Kimberly Dawn" (Archive). Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on December 28, 2015.
  11. "Zeigler, Royce Clyde II" (Archive). Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on December 28, 2015.

External links


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