Meelah Miller death: Abusive parents used air freshners to conceal 8-year-old adopted daughter’s death
MITCHELL, SOUTH DAKOTA: A South Dakota couple, who is accused of abusing their 8-year-old adopted daughter to the point of killing her, had allegedly used odor eliminators and sage to conceal her death for weeks, new court documents revealed.
Meelah Miller was found dead inside a coffin in the back of a U-Haul outside a South Dakota home in December 2022. After the gruesome discovery, on December 16, her adoptive parents Mandie Miller, 33, and her boyfriend Aleksander Kurmoyarov, 28, were arrested by Mitchell police and were charged with one count of failure to notify law enforcement of the death of a child. During an interview, Kurmoyarov allegedly told authorities that Meelah died in Washington State on Halloween but Mandie claimed that the youngster died on September 10, People reported.
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Investigators said the pair made no attempt to tell Washington state officials about the child’s death. Mandie and Kurmoyarov were later charged with second-degree murder, first-degree criminal mistreatment, and unlawful imprisonment charges. In a previous hearing, prosecutors reportedly released several official documents stating that the two had a history of abuse before the little girl died. It was also reported that the abusive couple was towing Meelah’s body from Airway Heights, Washington State to the Pine Ridge Native American reservation in South Dakota.
Following the couple’s arrest, police searched their Mitchell residence and discovered chilling evidences including zip ties, an "abundant amount" of air freshener, and other "items of possible evidentiary value," KREM 2 reports. The investigators reportedly found a wax warmer, electric fragrance diffusers, and an odor absorber in Meelah's bedroom. Additionally, a bunch of sage inside a sea shell was also recovered from the couple’s residence which authorities believe was burned as part of a Native American ritual "associated with cleansing and can therefore help you feel like you've aided the deceased in their passing," the docs said.
This came after the court documents revealed that Meelah endured horrific abuse for days before her tragic death. Kurmoyarov allegedly told investigators the eight-year-old was tied up for four to six hours the day that she died. He also confessed that Mandie used to hit her toes using a hammer when she did not behave. The couple would put the child in a bathrobe and tie it like a straightjacket. They even zip-tied her to a car seat. Kurmoyarov’s claims were backed by an autopsy report which noted that abusive marks were found on Meelah’s wrists and ankles. The report also stated that she was extremely malnourished and weighed just 26 pounds at eight years old. It was further revealed that the girl was allegedly taken out of school in early 2022.
Investigators later tracked down Meelah’s biological father, who was identified as a former partner of Miller, according to The Sun. He told cops that Mandie called him on November 16, 2022, to inform him that the little girl had died. She allegedly denied harming her and stated that Meelah died at their home after complaining about chest pain. Mandie also told the father that they were going to fly the body back to her reservation in South Dakota. The biological father described Mandie as a "hot head" who used to refer to Meelah as "evil."