NorCal parents accused of killing and burying toddler in wilderness

Two Redding parents were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of killing their 2-year-old child and burying her body in the wilderness, authorities said.

Riley Royal, 28, and Amanda Royal, 24, were charged with murder with special allegations and child abuse resulting in death, according to a news release from the Shasta County Sheriff's Office. They are scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.

On Jan. 7, Shasta County sheriff's deputies responded to a call for a wellness exam of a 2-year-old in the 20000 block of Sunset Lane in Redding, but were unable to locate the child, according to the sheriff's office.

Officers called the parents, who said they were not home. However, officers later discovered that the couple was hiding in the home and trying to evade law enforcement, according to the sheriff's office.

Officials then interviewed the parents and learned that the child had died three months earlier and had been illegally buried, authorities said. When officers heard the grisly news, they called in detectives from the Major Crimes Unit to take over the investigation, according to the sheriff's office.

Through further interviews, authorities said, investigators discovered that the child's body had been buried near the Whiskeytown resort area west of Redding. They also learned that the child had been the victim of physical abuse, the sheriff's office alleged.

According to the sheriff's office, a second child was found in the couple's home and was placed in the care of Shasta County Children's Services.

The following day, January 8, detectives and coroners dug up the body. According to the sheriff's office, the manner of death was ruled a homicide after an autopsy and other medical tests.

According to the sheriff's office, both parents are being held without bail in the Shasta County Jail.