A Utah couple facing aggravated murder charges for beating their 3-year-old daughter to death are accused of trying to cover up wounds on her face, hands, legs, head and neck with makeup.
Before calling 911, Miller Costello, 25, and Brenda Emile, 22, allegedly applied makeup to Angelina Costello’s body in an attempt to hide bruises, burns, contusions and open wounds.
According to the affidavit, Emile allegedly admitted to police that he used makeup to hide the wounds on the dead child “so they didn’t look as bad.”
Police were called to the couple’s home last Thursday after a report of a child who had stopped breathing and was unresponsive.
Brenda Emile and Miller Costello allegedly applied makeup to Angelina Costello’s body to hide bruises, burns, contusions, and open wounds. Source: Yahoo
When police arrived on the scene, they found Angelina dead, and the girl’s skin was cold and hard to the touch, according to court documents.
Investigators determined the girl was malnourished and found videos on the parents’ phone that showed the couple “feeding the female victim, then taking food away from her and disciplining her,” the affidavit states.
Some of Angelina’s injuries appear to be recent, while others are older and appear to be still healing.
Costello allegedly admitted to police that he knew the girl was in poor health and that Emile had not been feeding her. Costello told investigators that Emile told him Angelina’s injuries were inflicted during an interaction with her brother.
Police were called to the couple’s home last Thursday after a report of an unresponsive child who had stopped breathing. Source: Yahoo
“Brenda told Miller that she did not want the victim’s children to receive medical treatment because she did not want a police investigation or for the children to be taken away,” the indictment states.
The couple was taken into custody over the weekend, and the three children found in the home are now in the custody of the Utah Department of Children and Family Services.
Both parents are being held in the Weber County Jail without bail.
They have yet to plead to the charges they face.
It was unclear Tuesday whether either defendant had retained an attorney who could comment on their behalf.