Kayleigh Slusher
Sara Krueger and Ryan Warner
Mayor raises questions surrounding 3-year-old girl's murder
By Ken Wayne
KTVU.com
NAPA, Calif. — The Mayor of Napa is asking authorities whether they could have prevented the tragic death of 3-year-old Kayleigh Slusher.
On Tuesday prosecutors charged Kayleigh’s mother, 23-year-old Sara Krueger and her boyfriend, 26-year-old Ryan Warner with murder. Court filings revealed that the young girl’s body had been held inside a suitcase in a freezer for three days before her body was found.
The couple appeared separately in Napa Superior Court Tuesday but neither entered a plea.
Napa Mayor Jill Techel is turning to police to find out more on the several contacts officers had with Krueger and Warner in the weeks prior to Kayleigh’s death.
“What did they encounter when they went out there. What did they see? Was all the proper follow up processes handled,” Techel asked Tuesday.
Court documents revealed statements by Kruegar and Warner, admitting that the child was found dead from “unknown circumstances” and for three days they stored her body in a suitcase they placed in the freezer.
The District Attorney has not filed sexual assault charges, even though police had said earlier that there was evidence of sexual abuse. That charge is considered a special circumstance that could lead to the death penalty.
“Based on evidence that we have in front of us today, there is not enough to support a charge of special circumstances,” said DA Gary Lieberstein.
Family members also appeared at Tuesday’s hearing but did not talk to reporters.
Drug use has been mentioned as a major factor in the girl’s death but prosecutors say they’re still in the process of learning more.
“This is not a case about retribution it's about justice,” Lieberstein said. "It's about justice."
Mayor Techel says she expects to hear more from Napa police about officers’ prior contacts with the girl. She adds that a grand jury could eventually explore any potential breakdown in protecting young Kaleigh.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/crime-...ave-bee/ndDJH/
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