Savage, MN – An 18-year-old daycare worker is in custody, accused of murdering an 11-month-old boy by suffocation in what police describe as a calculated, attention-seeking act that also involved the alleged 𝒶𝓈𝓈𝒶𝓊𝓁𝓉 of a four-month-old infant days earlier.
Thea Russell faces charges of second-degree murder and 𝒶𝓈𝓈𝒶𝓊𝓁𝓉 following a three-month investigation into the death of Harvey Mucklebust at the Rocking Horse Ranch daycare on September 22. Authorities allege Russell intentionally suffocated the children to draw focus to herself.
“Based on the totality of the evidence… we had probable cause to believe Thea Russell intentionally suffocated these children on three occasions to seek attention and that that third incident tragically resulted in the death of Harvey Mucklebust,” stated Savage Police Chief Rodney Seurer during a press conference.
The tragedy unfolded just before 10 a.m. when emergency services received a “high priority medical” page for an unconscious, non-breathing infant at the facility. First responders rushed Harvey to a hospital, but he was pronounced dead shortly after 11:30 a.m., a mere seven days before his first birthday.
Investigators quickly identified a disturbing pattern. Just days prior, on September 19 and again on the morning of September 22, a four-month-old girl at the same daycare was found unresponsive with blood and foam around her nose and mouth. She survived both incidents.
Police say Russell was the common denominator, having had the last contact with each child immediately before the emergencies. Her behavior at the scene reportedly raised immediate suspicion among first responders.
“A clear pattern emerged,” Chief Seurer explained. “Her behavior and actions at the scene immediately raised suspicion, drawing investigative focus to her as the primary person of interest.”
During questioning, Russell allegedly confessed. “Thea confessed to intentionally suffocating the two children in an attention-seeking act,” Seurer revealed. “She provided detailed descriptions… and she confessed to the murder of Harvey Mucklebust.”
The investigation uncovered a documented history of concerning behavior in Russell’s past. Police learned of previous attention-seeking actions, including making nonsensical 911 calls and hanging up, alongside incidents involving starting fires at a church camp and erratic behavior toward other children.
Russell, who had been employed at the nationally accredited daycare for only three weeks, was reportedly tasked with caring for the facility’s youngest infants. The daycare’s license has since been suspended, and it remains closed.
At the bond hearing, a judge set Russell’s bail at $3.5 million. She is scheduled for her first court appearance on February 4.
The news has shattered the family of Harvey Mucklebust, who described their son as a source of pure joy. In a heartbreaking statement read by his grandmother, Julie Mucklebust, the family remembered a boy who was “on the move” and learning to say “mama and dada.”
“Harvey was such a blessing to our family and his death has left a tremendous hole in our hearts,” she said. “Harvey’s fingerprints are on my sliding glass door and his drool stains still show on his crib sheets. Those are the little things that I’m not ready to wash away.”
The family vowed to seek justice, promising Harvey they would say his name every day. A GoFundMe established to support the family has raised over $35,000, a testament to the community’s outpouring of grief.
The case has ignited urgent questions about daycare hiring practices, supervision protocols, and the screening of employees for positions involving vulnerable infants. An investigation into the daycare’s procedures is ongoing alongside the criminal case.
As the legal process begins, a community and a family are left mourning a life brutally cut short, seeking answers to how such a profound betrayal of trust could occur in a place dedicated to a child’s care and safety.