Riley Sawyers: Stepfather Delays Release of Baby Grace's Body

Prosecutors in the Riley Sawyers case have asked the judge to schedule a hearing on Jan. 3rd in order to hear the defense's request to have the stepfather, Royce Zeigler's experts examine the little girl's body.

Riley's mother, Kimberly Trenor and stepfather Zeigler were both charged with Capital Murder on December 12th by the Galveston County Grand Jury in Galveston, Texas. Their original bail of 350,000 was raised to 750,000.

Trenor's attorney, Tommy Stickler, said that he may also request permission for his experts to examine Riley's body unless the prosecutor makes autopsy records available. According to Stickler the prosecutor has refused to release the cause of death.

Riley's family, her father, Robert Sawyers and his mother, Sheryl, are back in Mentor, Ohio where Riley was born and lived there until her mother Kimberly took Riley to Texas last summer. Kimberly had an online relationship with Royce Zeigler. They married in June and settled in Spring, Texas.

"But right now the prosecutor won't even tell us what the cause of death is," Stickler said.

Riley was two years and 8 months old when it's alleged on July 24th Royce and Kimberly beat the little girl with leather belts then held her head underwater. The autopsy showed three skull fractures to the back of Riley's head. Riley's body was found at the end of November on a small uninhabited island in West Galveston Bay. Authorities released a composite sketch which Sheryl Sawyers recognized as possibly little Riley.

Kimberly and Royce are in the Galveston County Jail. It's reported that Kimberly Trenor is pregnant.

Little Riley's body will remain in Galveston for the unforeseeable future while her family waits for her return.

By LBG
Source - Houston Chronicle - Zeigler seeks to delay release of body
Image [wkyc.com]




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