Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty against two women charged in the death of a 9-year-old girl in Fayette County.

Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said prosecutors on Friday morning filed notices of aggravating circumstances against Kourtney Eutsey and Sarah Shipley in the death of Renesmay Eutsey. If they're convicted of first-degree murder, the state will seek the death penalty, Aubele said. 

Both were legal guardians for Renesmay Eutsey, who was found dead in the Yough River in September after she was reported missing. 

At a hearing earlier this month, one witness testified that Kourtney Eutsey admitted that the girl had been burned in the tub a week before. While her injuries may have gotten infected, she said she never sought medical care for the child. Kourtney Eutsey said Renesmay Eutsey began to choke and vomit, and despite trying to give CPR, she was unable to revive the girl.  

A doctor also testified that she evaluated a 6-year-old who was so emaciated that he was the size of a toddler, describing his medical condition as torture. She said an 11-year-old told her Shipley removed one of her teeth with pliers and she determined the child suffered from physical abuse and educational neglect. 

"This was not an accident. This was not a medical thing. This was an intentional act, and we're going to prosecute it as such," Aubele said at the hearing. 

Since the 1970s, only three people have been executed in Pennsylvania, and Gov. Josh Shapiro has promised not to issue any execution warrants during his term.