What Went Wrong at a Trusted Daycare?

In a quiet Minnesota town, families who trusted Rocking Horse Ranch daycare with their little ones are reeling from heartbreaking news as an 18 year old employee, Theah Loudemia Russell, who had only been on the job for three weeks, has admitted to police that she intentionally suffocated two babies in separate incidents last fall. One of those babies, 11 month old Harvey Muklebust, did not survive.

The trouble started in September 2025 when a 4 month old was found unresponsive with blood around the nose and mouth. Just days later, little Harvey stopped breathing and, despite emergency efforts, passed away at the hospital. Russell herself called 911 that day, but investigators quickly noticed her behavior seemed off. As they looked deeper, they uncovered a pattern of attention seeking actions in her past, including false emergency calls and other worrying incidents.