Renesmay Eutsey, the 9-year-old girl who was reported missing from Fayette County, Pennsylvania, early Wednesday morning, has been found dead, and her foster mother was charged with homicide. 

Kourtney Eutsey is facing several charges, including homicide, abuse of a corpse, endangering the welfare of children, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and concealing the death of a child after police said Renesmay Eutsey's body was found partially submerged in the Youghiogheny River near Smithton, approximately 20 miles from Dunbar.

The girl's biological mom told KDKA-TV that 31-year-old Kourtney Eutsey, a blood relative, had been taking care of the child since 2019. Renesmay Eutsey's biological mom also said Kourtney Eutsey was caring for her three other children: ages 7, 4 and 2. 

Criminal complaint details disturbing allegations

According to the criminal complaint, while police were preparing for a search warrant, a child walked up to troopers and apologized for not telling the truth earlier, saying, "I'm never going to see my baby sister again because she's in heaven." 

Police said they interviewed a girl who said she overheard Kourtney Eutsey and another adult saying they were going to take Renesmay Eutsey to a river "far far away." The girl said she came out of the room she was in because she heard Renesmay Eutsey screaming and crying. 

Police said the girl told them they saw Kourtney Eutsey and the other adult yelling at Renesmay Eutsey before kicking her in the stomach. When the adults realized the other girl had seen, she told police the other adult punched her in the mouth.

The criminal complaint says the girl saw Renesmay Eutsey in a bag. She told police Renesmay Eutsey's lips were white, and it looked like she was sleeping. 

When police talked to Kourtney Eutsey, she told officers that Renesmay Eutsey began to choke after vomiting. Kourtney Eutsey claimed she tried to clear the girl's mouth, but she died. Kourtney Eutsey said she was afraid to call 911 because the victim was skinny and had burned herself in the tub about a week earlier. 

Police said she told investigators that she put the child's body in a bag, drove to the river and placed the body along the shore bank. 

The search for Renesmay Eutsey in Dunbar Borough

Search crews and first responders had hoped for a different outcome to the case. 

"It's a painful thing for everybody involved," said Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele. 

"I can't wrap my head around how somebody would do something like this to a child," Aubele said. 

Aubele said they were led to the body after they started conducting interviews. He said consistencies in those interviews gave investigators pause.

"The timeline was completely off," Aubele said, adding, "There were just statements that were conflicting with other information that we had." 

DA anticipates more charges  

Renesmay Eutsey was just 45 pounds. Aubele said her body showed signs of abuse, neglect and what appeared to be cigarette burns. He said it corresponds with some other stories. 

"The information that we received from one of the other children in the home confirmed that there were, that there was abuse going on in the house," Aubele said. 

Aubele said it was a very emotional case.  

"And just for her, sweet, beautiful little girl, just had to have lived in horror," he said.  

The 9-year-old lived at the home on Third Street with her foster mom and another adult woman, officials said. Aubele said that the three other children who lived there were removed. He said he anticipates future charges. 

"(She was) robbed of her life. I don't know how else to put it," Aubele said.