Oregon man charged with murder and first-degree sodomy in death of girlfriend's two-year-old daughter
EAGLE POINT, OREGON: An Oregon man who was in custody in connection to the death of his girlfriend's toddler daughter is now facing charges of first-degree sodomy and murder as well.
Russel Brian Darrell Larsen, 25, was arrested on Thursday, August 15, on charges related to the death of two-year-old Alivia Rose Allen, according to a press release by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. On August 5, at around 3:24 pm, an Eagle Point Police Department (EPPD) police officer was dispatched to a call of a CPR in progress at a mobile home park in the 200 block of South Shasta Avenue.
Alivia's mother had called 911 to report that her daughter was not breathing and dispatchers relayed CPR instructions by phone until personnel from Fire District 3 arrived to assume life-saving measures.
The two-year-old was transported by Mercy Flights ambulance to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford for further treatment but died later that same evening. An autopsy performed on August 8 by Dr. James Olson, Deputy State Medical Examiner, ruled that her death had been a homicide and determined the cause of death as blunt force trauma.
The EPPD subsequently requested assistance with the investigation from JCSO detectives, who learned that Larsen had been babysitting Alivia on the day of her death. They uncovered that the 25-year-old was in a relationship with the toddler's mother and had recently moved into the home.
Larsen was initially charged with first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault, and first-degree criminal mistreatment in connection to Alivia's death. The first-degree assault charge alleged that he caused serious physical injury to the toddler in an act that was separate from the one resulting in her death. The first-degree criminal mistreatment charge, on the other hand, was for allegedly withholding necessary and medical treatment.
The Mail Tribune reported that this week, another indictment accused Larsen of causing the death of Alivia while committing or attempting to commit sodomy and added charges of first-degree sodomy and murder. Larsen appeared before Judge Lorenzo Mejia on August 16. During the hearing, state prosecutors said that Alivia's death wasn't caused by one injury, and that she suffered multiple injuries that caused lung contusions and internal bleeding.
The 25-year-old entered a plea of not guilty and is scheduled to make his next appearance in court on August 23 for a preliminary hearing.
He is currently being held in Jackson County Jail and his bond, which was first set at $207,500, was increased to $1 million after his indictment on the new charges. Anyone with additional information on the case has been advised to contact the JCSO tip line at (541) 774-8333.