What was already a grim child-death case in Fayette County widened yesterday, as two more women were charged in the investigation into the death of 9-year-old Renesmay Eutsey, authorities say. Theresa Marie Shipley, 63, Renesmay's grandmother, and Sandra Lynn Umensetter, 51, a family friend, each face counts of endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person. Theresa also faces a charge for failing to report suspected child abuse. The girl's body was found in the Youghiogheny River in September 2025, and an autopsy listed malnourishment, chronic neglect, and blunt-force injuries.
DA's release and new charges
Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele announced the new counts in a press release, according to CBS Pittsburgh. The DA's office said it received the Westmoreland County coroner's autopsy and other documents that support the added charges, and that Theresa Shipley is also charged with failing to report suspected child abuse. Both women are expected to be arraigned on Tuesday afternoon, the release said.
Phone records and injured siblings
Investigators say cellular analysis shows Theresa Shipley and Umensetter were caring for the children at the home multiple times in the months before Renesmay's death. Aubele's statement said one seven-year-old from the home was hospitalized with injuries similar to those listed in the autopsy, and another boy was treated for severe malnutrition. "In short, the children in the home were subjected to severe child abuse and neglect over a long period of time," the DA wrote, as reported by WPXI.
How the case unfolded
Renesmay was reported missing from a Dunbar Borough home and later found partially submerged in the Youghiogheny River in September. Authorities had already arrested Kourtney Malinda Eutsey and Sarah Ann Shipley on homicide-related counts. Police allege Kourtney told officers she put Renesmay's body in a bag, drove to the river, and dumped it along the bank, and other children removed from the home told troopers of ongoing abuse, officials have said. Earlier court filings describe burns, wounds, and severe neglect that prompted the criminal probe, according to WTAE.
Legal stakes
The new misdemeanor charges against Theresa Shipley and Umensetter land on top of an already high-stakes prosecution in which two caregivers face homicide counts, and prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if those defendants are convicted of first-degree murder, as outlined by CBS Pittsburgh. District Attorney Aubele filed notices of aggravating circumstances against Kourtney Eutsey and Sarah Shipley last year, the outlet reported. The rare prospect of a capital sentence in Pennsylvania carries legal and political hurdles that defense lawyers are likely to challenge.
What's next
Prosecutors said they will continue to review records and phone evidence as the cases move toward arraignment and potential additional indictments, and both Theresa Shipley and Umensetter are scheduled to appear in court this week, according to WPXI. The community in Dunbar and surrounding towns has held vigils and called for stronger oversight of vulnerable children in foster and kinship care, local leaders told WTAE.
