Mitchell police investigate couple traveling with 8-year-old child’s body

Mitchell Police are investigating a couple who were traveling with the body of their 8-year-old adoptive daughter.

The couple was in contact with the Davison County Coroner, who called police Wednesday. Officers learned the deceased girl’s adoptive parents had traveled from Airway Heights, Washington to Mitchell while towing a U-Haul that contained the girl’s body.

The couple said the girl had died in Washington, although they gave different dates for her death. One says it was in September, the other claims it was October. They never notified law enforcement. The couple had been in South Dakota about 4-days before the arrest.

At this time, 28-year-old Aleksander Kurmoyarov and 33-year-old Mandie Miller, have each been charged with one count of Failure to Notify Law Enforcement of the death of a child.

Police say the parents claim they did not seek medical attention for the child because they wanted to spend more time with her and Kurmoyarov was afraid they would get in trouble.

Mitchell authorities are working Washington state officials on the investigation.

December 16, 2022