SPOKANE, WA – The tragic case of an 8-year-old girl who suffered months of abuse and starvation before dying in her Washington state home reached a grim resolution Friday, as her adoptive mother was sentenced to more than three decades in prison.

Mandie Miller, 36, received a 32-year sentence after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including homicide by abuse, assault of a child, and unlawful imprisonment. Investigators said Miller, along with her boyfriend Aleksander Kurmoyarov, 31, subjected Meela Miller to repeated physical abuse, starvation, and prolonged restraint before her death in September 2022. By the time she died, Meela weighed just 26 pounds.

According to authorities, Meela was both the couple’s adopted daughter and Miller’s biological niece. The girl endured extensive cruelty, including being tied with zip ties and having her toes struck with a hammer as punishment for misbehavior. Surveillance footage from inside the home captured scenes of Meela being restrained for extended periods, providing crucial evidence in the case.

Instead of alerting emergency services following Meela’s death, Miller and Kurmoyarov kept her body in their Spokane residence for nearly three months. Prosecutors said the pair told investigators they wanted to “spend more time with her.” In December 2022, they transported Meela’s body in a coffin using a rented U-Haul truck, driving over 1,000 miles to Mitchell, South Dakota.

Upon arriving at a funeral home in South Dakota to request a burial, staff members grew suspicious when the couple failed to provide any legal documentation of Meela’s death. Law enforcement was contacted, and the two were arrested on charges of failing to notify authorities of a child’s death. They were extradited to Washington, where both faced more serious charges.

At Miller’s sentencing hearing, statements from prosecutors and family members painted a picture of relentless suffering endured by the young girl. The prosecution described in detail how the cruelty inflicted upon Meela was chronicled by the very cameras her guardians used at home, which caught the repeated abuse on tape.

Meela’s biological mother, Andrea Miller, who is also Mandie Miller’s sister, addressed the court during the proceedings. She spoke of her sorrow at losing her daughter and urged her sister to recognize the gravity of what had occurred. Despite the unimaginable pain and betrayal, Andrea Miller said she forgave her sister, referencing the family’s shared loss and the memory of their own late sibling.

Judge Rachelle Anderson, in delivering the sentence, called the case “one of the worst crimes a parent can commit against a child.” She imposed a sentence two years longer than what prosecutors had recommended, citing the severe and prolonged suffering inflicted upon Meela.

During her brief statement to the court, Mandie Miller referenced a difficult upbringing in foster care but admitted her daughter did not deserve such treatment. Kurmoyarov, who has pleaded guilty to murder, assault, and unlawful imprisonment, is scheduled to be sentenced next week.

The case has prompted renewed attention on the issue of child abuse and the responsibilities of caretakers to protect vulnerable children, with many in the Spokane community expressing shock and grief over the details revealed in court.