DA: Sibling Hospitalized, More Charges Expected for Renesmay Eutsey's Caregivers

New Charges for Caregivers in Fayette County Case

The court-ordered custodian and live-in caretaker for a Fayette County girl who was found dead are now facing additional charges after a sibling showed signs of abuse and neglect, according to the District Attorney. Sarah Shipley and Kourtney Eutsey have been charged with aggravated assault and conspiracy, among other offenses.

During the initial investigation into the disappearance and subsequent death of Renesmay Eutsey, four additional children were removed from the home in Dunbar. The children were placed from the home on Wednesday night, and part of the initial evaluation involved sending them to the Children's Hospital for assessment. This process revealed evidence of severe neglect and child abuse against a six-year-old child in the household.

“This child had very little to no muscle mass,” said Fayette County DA Mike Aubele. “Right now, they’re learning how to eat. This systemic abuse that we've seen with two of these children in a home is not something that happened overnight. This was a long time. This was a pattern. This was more than just a few days or weeks. This was significant.”

Medical evaluations conducted by the Children’s Hospital indicated that the child had a growth rate of zero percent. At last check, the child was stable at the hospital. The remaining children removed from the home were placed in foster care outside of Fayette County.

Many in the county are questioning why Child Welfare Services (CYS) did not act sooner or become aware of the alleged abuse. Aubele explained that the situation involved kinship care, where the children were voluntarily placed with family members. This type of arrangement typically does not involve CYS unless there are specific concerns or reports.

“There was no involvement by CYS through any active court case,” Aubele said. “There were no reports that were made to CYS. These kids were homeschooled. They weren't seeing teachers, they weren't seeing counselors, they weren't seeing these individuals that a typical child would be contacting on a weekly basis. Someone needs to have a report. They need to be told that there's something wrong.”

Despite this, Pittsburgh Action News Four's Ed DiOrio spoke with a foster parent in Brownsville who claims one of her children was abused by Shipley and Eutsey. Chrystal Rockwell, a foster parent, shared her experience of taking in a child named Alayna in 2018. She alleged that the child had been abused before she took her in.

“I wanted it investigated by CYS,” Rockwell said. “There was a report filed. I reported it to CYS. I got a call, and somebody said these kids were being abused. Somebody needs to investigate this.”

Pennsylvania State Police stated that there have been no incidents or abuse claims for Shipley and Eutsey’s Dunbar home over the last decade. However, Aubele is encouraging more people like Rockwell to come forward with information.

“We're sorting through it all,” Aubele said. “I would encourage any member of the public that has any information to keep it coming. Keep the information flowing to us, and we'll get through it. We will look at everything in this case. How these children came into their care. Whether children were in their care before. How we can try to prevent something like this from happening again in the future.”

As the investigation continues, the community remains concerned about the welfare of children in similar situations. Authorities are urging anyone with relevant information to reach out and assist in ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable children.