Utah toddler kept in crib full of filth and rubbish in “excessive heat, darkness,” dies; parents played music throughout the night

A couple in Utah have been jailed after their 18-month-old daughter died from dehydration and malnutrition, according to a report by the Mirror.

Ruby Marie Murray died on March 19, 2025, at her family home in Nibley, Utah. According to the report, she spent the final days of her life in a crib, surrounded by rubbish and pieces of food, as her parents went about their daily lives.

Her parents, Mitchell Chestnut Murray and Carrie Marie Murray, both 32, later pleaded guilty to aggravated child abuse and child abuse homicide. They were sentenced to consecutive prison terms of one to 15 years each.

A child who was supposed to be cared for

According to the Mirror, emergency services were called at around 10:30 a.m. on March 19 after Carrie reported that she had found Ruby dead in her crib.

Carrie, who was a registered nurse, told dispatchers that she believed her daughter was beyond help and did not perform lifesaving measures.

When investigators arrived, Ruby was wearing long-sleeved footed pajamas and a sleep sack, with several blankets around her. A nearby space heater had raised the room temperature to about 25C.

Inside the crib were sippy cups and a large amount of waffle pieces. Investigators also found rubbish, wrappers and more pieces of waffle beneath the mattress.

Ruby weighed just 17 pounds when she died.

Her final days were reconstructed partly through baby-monitor and surveillance footage. Investigators found that her diaper had been changed only six times during the four days before her death.

Her father described what he called "crib days"—days when Ruby would remain in her crib while he worked. He told investigators this happened one or two days a week and that he would check on her two or three times a day.

According to charging documents, however, Ruby was not taken out of her crib at all on March 18, the day before she died.

Her final night

Perhaps the most heartbreaking details emerged from recordings of Ruby's final hours.

Investigators said she could be heard and seen during the early hours of March 19, moving and making noises. She cried, whimpered and gasped.

Yet she remained in the crib.

Court documents also said music was played throughout the night while Ruby slept or cried. Authorities believed this affected her sleep.

At some point, a child who should have been surrounded by the ordinary sounds of family life—conversation, laughter, footsteps and bedtime routines—was instead spending long stretches alone.

Judge Spencer D. Walsh described the neglect as "appalling" and "shocking."

He said parenthood involved far more than occasionally putting a bottle or food into a crib.

The words that came after Ruby was gone

When Carrie first spoke to investigators, she suggested that Ruby may have died from sudden infant death syndrome, although she acknowledged that Ruby was older than the age at which SIDS typically occurs.

She told police, "It was her time, I guess."

She also initially said she felt no responsibility for her daughter's death.

Months later, however, her words to the court were very different.

In a statement filed before sentencing, Carrie wrote that she was "so incredibly sorry" and that she would never stop being sorry.

"I love Ruby," she wrote, acknowledging that her actions and inactions had contributed to her daughter's death.

She said she had once had plans, hopes and dreams for Ruby that would now never happen.

"I am remorseful and sorrowful knowing that I failed her," she wrote.

She also said she wanted to help other parents avoid ending up in the situation she was facing.

Mitchell apologized as well, saying, "I regret what happened. I should have done better. I'm sorry."

A family left behind

The case also shows another painful side of the tragedy: Ruby's death did not affect only the people who were convicted.

Relatives and friends wrote to the court asking for compassion for Mitchell and Carrie. They described them as loving parents, hardworking people and devoted family members.

Mitchell's brother pointed out that the couple also had a six-year-old child and asked the court to consider options that could allow them to remain involved in that child's life while still meeting the requirements of their sentences.

Those statements do not change what happened to Ruby. But they illustrate how complicated the aftermath of a child's death can become for an entire family.

There is grief for the child who is gone. There are questions about what happened and why. There are consequences for the adults responsible. And there is another child who must grow up carrying the consequences of something they did not cause.

What Ruby's story leaves behind

Judge Walsh ultimately rejected the idea that Ruby's death could be explained by one isolated mistake.

He pointed to months of inadequate nutrition, irregular diaper changes and bathing, and what he described as a "shocking lack of human interaction."

He also criticized the amount of time Mitchell spent gaming and streaming while caring for Ruby.

"Justice demands that a very harsh sentence would be imposed because the value of that innocent life is so great," the judge said.

The couple received credit for the 283 days they had already spent in custody and were given 30 days to appeal their sentences.

For Ruby, though, there is no appeal and no second chance.

She was just 18 months old.

At that age, a child is still learning words, discovering the world and relying on adults for almost everything. Ruby could not prepare foo