Cops Believe They've ID'd "Baby Grace"

(CBS/AP)  Investigators said Monday they are "fairly confident" of the identity of a 2-year-old girl whose body washed ashore in a storage bin in Galveston Bay, but are still trying to determine how her brief life ended.

The girl's mother and stepfather remain in custody after their weekend arrest.

Galveston County sheriff's Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo revealed little about the investigation, including how the little girl died and what role the couple might have played.

"There is still a lot more work to do," he said at a Monday morning news conference. "We still don't know the full details of what happened."

Authorities are awaiting DNA test results but believe the girl is 2-year-old Riley Ann Sawyers of the Houston suburb of Spring, 75 miles north of Galveston, Tuttoilmondo said. The girl was originally from suburban Cleveland and her father lives in Ohio.

An autopsy revealed three skull fractures, but the cause of death has not been determined.

The girl's mother, Kimberly Dawn Trenor, 19, and her husband, Royce Clyde Zeigler II, 24, were arrested early Saturday and charged with injury to a child and tampering with evidence, Tuttoilmondo said.

The couple remain jailed in lieu of $350,000 bail each. It was not immediately known who their attorneys were.

Galveston County District Attorney Kurt Sistrunk said the couple is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

"With the investigation still ongoing, we don't know yet what additional evidence may be forthcoming. But we will certainly be guided by whatever develops when considering what additional charges, if any, will be presented to the grand jury," Sistrunk said in an e-mail.

Officials in Galveston County are working with the Harris County District Attorney's Office to determine where Riley's death occurred. Tuttoilmondo said investigators were looking at all possibilities in the case, including whether the death might have been accidental.

Tuttoilmondo said investigators became emotionally involved in determining the little girl's identity.

"Any way you look at it, we carry a piece of her with us and will always carry a little piece of her with us," he said. "She's still our little girl. She now has a family. She has people that will care for her and make sure that a box in West Galveston Bay is not where she ended her life."

A fisherman discovered the child's body Oct. 29 inside a blue plastic utility box in the bay.

Tuttoilmondo said investigators searched the couple's Spring home but he declined to say what was found or what they may have said about Riley's disappearance when they were questioned on Friday.

Tuttoilmondo did say that Trenor misled relatives when she told them that someone claiming to be an Ohio social worker took the child in July.

Attorney representing the baby's father and spokeswoman for the family
Laura DePledge told Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm that Sawyers tried to find Riley this summer.

"We had several different reports that she was in several different states. We tried to find her throughout June, July, until the end of August. We received information at the end of august that she was in Texas," DePledge said.

A sheriff's deputy and two FBI agents visited the girl's relatives in Mentor, Ohio, Sunday to deliver the news.

Riley's paternal grandmother, Sheryl Sawyers, had called Texas authorities when she saw a sketch of the girl who had been named "Baby Grace" by authorities and thought it might be her granddaughter, Tuttoilmondo said.

Sawyers has said Riley was born to her son and Trenor while the pair were teenagers and they lived with her in Mentor, Ohio, for about two years. Trenor apparently moved with her daughter to Spring sometime this year to be with Zeigler. There apparently was a custody battle under way for Riley, officials said.

The last time Riley was seen alive was three to four months ago, Tuttoilmondo said.

The girl's grandfather, Ray Sawyers, told The Associated Press he had no comment when reached by phone Monday. He said he and other family members would attend an afternoon news conference in Mentor.

"Obviously, the family's absolutely devastated," DePledge said on CBS News' The Early Show.

Last week, authorities said the families of eight missing children from across the United States were asked to provide DNA samples. Tuttoilmondo said they were selected from 110 cases of missing children who matched a description of the girl. The child was described as being 2 or 3.

While authorities have identified "Baby Grace" as Riley, Tuttoilmondo said authorities are still looking to identify 22 other missing girls who came to their attention as a result of tips from this case.

[kfubar19]

This was posted by someone who possibly went to school with the mother and biological father:
"this is a horrible situation. but no one knows the whole sotry but 3 people. i went to school with the possible mother of baby grace. some things you people are saying are simply discusting me. you know nothing more than you see or here. i hope the father is ok, he is a great guy. and just for your information they wanted the baby so you all can stop shooting acccusations on how horrible the mother was. you know nothing. If she did do it which i hope she didnt she does deserve whatever the jury gives her. but dont sit here and make up your own ideas what there life was like. my prays are with you robert."
Posted by maggiemoo88

I just wanted to make sure that this woman has been properly updated about other bloggers accusations, such as mine, which have as of this week become the truth from the sick mouth of the mother herself and her admittance of taking part in the murder of this little girl. And also, what a match made in heaven to meet her husband while playing a video game. I hope and pray that capital murder charges are brought against these two sick individuals and that they both burn in hell.

[kahc31]

It makes me so mad when crazy people do things like this my heart breaks so bad for the little girl i have a two year old girl and i cant even imagine doing something like that to her these people have no concious they make me sick someone should take them and do the same thing to them they are sick freaks.

[Krazcarl]

Did you look at the pictures their butchers and should be killed quickly there is no legal process for butchers they should be taken care of like in the old days dragged out and buthchered themselves.

[mercyme884]

"it''s better to tie a millstone around your neck and cast yourself into the deepest part of the ocean than to harm a hair of one of these little ones." a quote from a famous Teacher.

I agree with Carolyn301. It is unfair to portray WoW players as violenence addicted cult members. We mock what we don''t understand. It''s sensational to pin the blame on a video game as if it promotes killing babies. The fact is I also met my wife in a mmorpg 4 years ago. We now play WoW and live peacefully and happily in love. I have not nor would I ever raise my hand against a child for any reason. These sick people have far deeper and more disturbing problems with their heads than an obsession with a video game. To simplify this story to such a moronic view is to do a dishonor to that poor little girl. You oughta be ashamed of yourselves.

[carolyn301]

i can not believe that you balame a game for some one being the reason that a person would kill there child.i play the game frequently, and i have 4 kids and a baby on the way. i have never in a million years thought about neglecting my children for a game.Also FYI i met my husband on the game and i dont think that my kids or myself could be happier. it isnt about the game it is about the mantality of the person playing. Dr.''s,lawyer''s,and millions play this game so dont blame the game blame the player.my prayers go out to the family left behind. and hopefully the law will seek out justice and the mother and B/f will pay in life in prison and or death penalty.

[eggy1620]

This little girl died because of gender prejudice in the family courts. For some unknown reason, the mother, no matter how incompetent, always gets initial custody. Then it%u2019s the father%u2019s responsibility to prove that the mother is unfit. Riley would be alive if not for the courts always defaulting custody to the trailer trash who can%u2019t keep her legs closed.

[whatisit21]

The mother refused to submit DNA for testing. She lied about Child Protective Services taking the child from her. She confessed to police about how the baby girl was killed. Which was, both her and her new man beat her with leather belts, dunked her head in water to stop the screaming, and then threw her by her hair onto a tiled floor. Then they went shopping for a plastic container, shovel, bleach, and rubber gloves. The baby girl''s body stayed in the plastic container on the property for about 2 months after which they threw the container into the causeway and it floated down to Galvaston where it was found. Nobody can justify these actions nor can they defend her by saying she was abused by her ex-husband. The whole deed sounds evil. And why would anybody run off to be with someone they met on the internet with a little girl in tow?

[harp1963]

How could anybody do such horrible things to a defenseless little child?

[juiceblog]

This mother divorced her husband and ran away with the child to escape a domestic violence situation. The couple spent 2 years living with his family so it''s hard to believe that the exhusband''s mom didn''t know that her son was beating his wife under her roof. What happened to the little girl shocks my concious but it started with the exhusband and his family and resulted in a domino effect. So it make me sick when I see the exhusband and his mom crying on the news. It started with them so they should accept their role in it. The mother and her boyfriend both deserve the death penalty.