Couple Accused of Killing Their Daughter Found Buried in the Garden: Authorities

Authorities in California arrested a couple on murder charges after they allegedly found the couple’s 2-year-old daughter buried near a campsite.

Riley Royal, 28, and Amanda Royal, 24, were arrested on Tuesday, October 29. Officials in Shasta CountyThe California sheriff’s department released a statement.

The investigation began on Jan. 7, when Shasta County sheriff’s deputies conducted a welfare check on a 2-year-old girl at a home in Redding, the statement said.

When they arrived at the house, the couple allegedly hid inside the house, telling police on the phone that they were not there. Police eventually found them inside the home “where they attempted to evade law enforcement,” according to the statement.

When the police could not find the child, whose name was not mentioned in the statement, they met with the couple, who claimed that the child was dead and “unlawfully buried”.

Investigators learned the child was allegedly physically abused before his death in October 2023. Following his death, which was ruled a homicide, he was buried near the Whiskeytown Recreation area just outside Redding, according to the release.

The boy’s body was exhumed on January 8, one day after a medical check-up.

Want to keep up with the latest crime news? Sign up PEOPLE free True Crime newsletter For breaking crime news, ongoing trial news and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Police said in the statement that another child, whose age was not disclosed, was also in the same home with the couple and was placed with a local child services agency.

Riley and Amanda were charged with special allegations of murder and child abuse resulting in death, according to the statement. They are being held without bail in the Shasta County Jail.

Online court records did not indicate a plea for any of the suspects. The defense attorneys involved did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are free and confidential. The helpline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.