Mother and boyfriend held over for trial for 3-year-old girl's torture murder
NAPA, Calif. (BCN) - A Napa woman and her boyfriend were ordered to stand trial in Napa County Superior Court Tuesday for the alleged murder of the woman's 3-year-old daughter last year.
Sara Lynn Krueger, 25, and Ryan Scott Warner, 27, will be tried in the death of Kayleigh Slusher on the charges of murder with torture and assault on a child producing great bodily injury or death, Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein said Thursday.
The girl's body was found on a bed in Krueger's and Warner's Royal Gardens apartment at 2060 Wilkins Ave. in Napa on Feb. 1, 2014 after a neighbor called police to make a welfare check, Napa police said.
Slusher had suffered blunt force trauma and her body was put in a freezer before it was found in a suitcase left on the bed of the apartment, according to Napa police.
Krueger and Warner left the apartment with luggage, and BART Police Department officers contacted them at the El Cerrito del Norte Bart station after police received an anonymous tip that they were in an El Cerrito restaurant.
Napa police said they had been to the couple's apartment on Jan. 29 after someone called them to report Krueger was under the influence of drugs and was not feeding her daughter, Napa police said.
Police found no signs that Krueger was under the influence of drugs or that the child was in danger, Napa police said.
Police had been to the apartment numerous times before between June 2012 and February 2014 but not in response to any violent events, Napa police Capt. Jeff Troendly said at the time.
The girl's father and grandparents have filed a civil suit in federal court against Napa police and Napa County Child Welfare Services for allegedly failing to investigate child abuse reports.