The couple pleaded guilty to reduced felony charges after investigators documented Ruby Murray’s isolation, malnutrition and dehydration.

NIBLEY, Utah — The parents of an 18-month-old Utah girl who died after spending most of her final days confined to a crib pleaded guilty to child abuse homicide and aggravated child abuse, resolving an aggravated murder case before trial.

Mitchell Chesnut Murray, 31, and Carrie Marie Murray, 32, entered the pleas July 2 in Utah’s 1st District Court in connection with the March 19, 2025, death of their daughter, Ruby Marie Murray. Both offenses are second-degree felonies. The couple had originally been charged with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, and aggravated child abuse. Prosecutors dropped the murder count under the plea agreement. Each parent faces one to 15 years in prison on each remaining charge when they are sentenced Sept. 11. The judge will decide whether the terms run at the same time or one after another.

The guilty pleas establish criminal responsibility in a case built largely from recordings inside the family’s Nibley home. Investigators reviewed baby-monitor data and surveillance video to reconstruct Ruby’s movements, meals, diaper changes and contact with other people. The resulting timeline described a child who was rarely removed from her crib and received only brief periods of direct attention during the four days before her death. The Cache County Sheriff’s Office called the conduct a “severe pattern of neglect,” while charging documents alleged that the parents showed a depraved indifference to Ruby’s life.

Ruby died from complications of malnutrition and dehydration, according to the medical examiner’s findings cited by investigators. She weighed about 17 pounds when she died. Authorities said she spent only six hours and 15 minutes outside her crib during the last 96 hours of her life. Another person was recorded in the room with her for a combined 49 minutes and 15 seconds during that period. Investigators identified six diaper changes over the four days. The records gave authorities a detailed account that went beyond the parents’ descriptions of how the toddler had been cared for.

The most limited contact occurred March 18, the day before Ruby was found dead. Investigators said she was never removed from the crib that day. Mitchell Murray placed a sippy cup and a waffle inside at about 11:57 a.m. and again at about 6:29 p.m., according to the charges. The combined interaction Ruby had with her parents and an older child that day lasted 49 seconds. Her diaper was not changed. Carrie Murray later told detectives she had not seen Ruby that day because she was working and that her last contact with the toddler had been early March 17.

Other portions of the recorded timeline showed a broader pattern. During an eight-hour span on March 14, the parents spent about 36 minutes with Ruby in her room, fed her once and changed her diaper once, according to the affidavit. On March 17, she was outside the crib for about five minutes, during which she received two diaper changes. When she was removed from the crib at other times, investigators said, she was often left alone on the bedroom floor rather than being continuously supervised or engaged by a caregiver.

The crib itself had a mesh cover intended to keep a child from climbing out, the charges said. Investigators described its interior as dirty and filled with old pieces of food. Sippy cups and broken waffle pieces were found in the crib, while wrappers, trash and more food particles were found beneath the mattress. Ruby’s room was warmer than the rest of the home because a space heater was operating nearby. Authorities also said loud rock and pop music played in the room for long periods, including overnight, and appeared at times to interfere with her sleep.

Investigators said Ruby did not follow a normal sleep pattern and appeared unable to distinguish day from night. Recordings from her last night captured her moving and making sounds that charging documents described as crying, whimpering and gasping. The material was significant because it indicated that she remained alive and in distress in the hours before she was discovered. The public court summaries reviewed for the case do not identify any attempt by the parents to obtain medical treatment during that period.

Mitchell Murray told detectives that he worked from home and spent substantial time on his laptop, both for his job and while playing computer games. He described some days as “crib days,” meaning Ruby remained in the crib while he worked. He said those days occurred once or twice a week and claimed that he checked on her two or three times. Investigators compared that account with the video record, which documented how little time anyone was physically present with Ruby during the period immediately before her death.

Carrie Murray, who worked as a nurse, told investigators that Ruby usually received a sippy cup in the morning and another in the evening. She said the toddler often ate waffles for her meals and ate in the crib because the family was not accustomed to sitting together at a table and Ruby did not like being fed by someone else. Carrie also said she had not viewed the baby-monitor application for months and had changed its settings so she would receive fewer notifications, according to the charges.

At about 10:30 a.m. on March 19, Carrie Murray reported finding Ruby unresponsive in the crib and called 911. The probable cause statement said she told the dispatcher she was a nurse and believed the child was beyond help. She did not perform the lifesaving measures requested during the call, according to court records summarized by news organizations. Investigators later noted that Ruby’s body temperature was about 83 degrees even though the bedroom temperature was measured at about 77 degrees.

During questioning, Carrie Murray suggested that Ruby may have died from sudden infant death syndrome, though she acknowledged the child was older than is typical for such a death. According to the charging documents, she told detectives, “It was her time I guess.” She also said, “I feel guilt really strong — I feel no guilt over this.” The statements became prominent parts of the case, but the charges were supported by a wider body of evidence that included the medical findings, surveillance records and the documented conditions inside the room.

Mitchell Murray reacted differently when detectives confronted him about Ruby’s treatment and the limited time spent with her. Charging documents said he became emotional and told investigators that “it should never have happened.” Authorities arrested both parents in December 2025 after the sheriff’s investigation and the medical examiner’s work were completed. They were initially held on allegations carrying the possibility of far greater punishment than the charges to which they eventually pleaded guilty.

The plea agreement removes the need for prosecutors to prove aggravated murder at trial, while leaving the sentencing court to determine how much prison time each parent will serve. A second-degree felony in Utah carries a possible term of one to 15 years. Because each defendant admitted two such offenses, the decision on concurrent or consecutive sentences could have a major effect on the total time imposed. The public reports reviewed for this article did not describe any sentencing recommendation binding the judge.

Ruby’s obituary remembered her as a curious child whose laughter and smile brightened a room. It said a Green Day song, “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” had been used as a lullaby for her. That remembrance stands apart from the clinical language of the criminal case, which reduced her last days to measured periods of isolation, recorded feedings and missed diaper changes. The sentencing hearing will be the next public stage of the case and will allow the court to weigh the admitted conduct, its consequences and any statements presented by the parties.

Author note: Last updated Aug. 5, 2026.