Parents arrested after toddler was 'unlawfully buried' in California

(KTXL) - The parents of a 2-year-old girl have been arrested after officers determined the child had died a year ago and was allegedly "unlawfully buried" in Northern California.

The parents, Riley Royal, 28, and Amanda Royal, 24, were detained Tuesday on charges of murder with special allegations and child abuse resulting in death, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office said.

According to the sheriff's office, deputies went to a home in the community of Pacheco, southeast of Redding, California, on Jan. 7, 2024, for a welfare check of the 2-year-old girl.

The child's parents, who were contacted by phone, allegedly told deputies they were not in the residence, but they were later found inside.

The parents told deputies that the child had died several months prior and that she had been "unlawfully buried," the sheriff's office said. Unlawful burial can include the failure to obtain proper permits, to follow proper burial procedures, or to follow cemetery regulations.

Deputies also found another child in the residence and took them to Shasta County Children's Services.

Detectives eventually determined from the parents that the 2-year-old girl had been physically abused and died in October 2023 before being buried near the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, west of Redding, the sheriff's office said.

After the child's body was exhumed on Jan. 8, an autopsy and medical tests later led officials to determine the cause of death as a homicide.

An arrest warrant was issued and both parents were detained Tuesday, the sheriff's office said. They were taken to the Shasta County Jail, where they were being held without bail.