WURTLAND, Ky. (TCD) — A couple is in custody nearly half a year after a 5-year-old child was found dead in their home.
On June 17, 2023, the Kentucky State Police responded to a call regarding the suspicious death of a 5-year-old child, identified by the Daily Independent as Aubrey Stowers, at 501 Oak St. During their investigation, detectives obtained evidence they allege connected Rachel Waddell, and her boyfriend, Christopher Stiltner, to the child’s death. Investigators presented the case to a grand jury, which returned an indictment for murder charges on Jan. 11.
Detectives apprehended the couple at their home, and they were booked into the Greenup County Detention Center.
According to the indictment reviewed by WSAZ-TV, the pair engaged in “conduct which created a grave risk of death to another person and thereby caused the death of a 5-year-old child due to multiple blunt force injuries.”
Kentucky State Police Public Affairs Officer Shane Goodall reportedly said investigators are waiting for additional tests to come back regarding Stowers’ death.
According to her obituary, Stowers was a “happy, sassy little 5-year-old who loved her siblings, loved riding her bike, enjoyed listening to music, and cuddling up and sleeping with her bulldog Diesel.”
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