An Ogden couple have been charged with aggravated murder after prosecutors say the severe abuse they subjected their 3-year-old daughter to ultimately led to her death. Miller Costello, 25, and Brenda Emilie, 22, have both been charged with the first-degree felony. Charging documents have indicated serious and repeated abuse sustained over a period of time by the parents of Angelina Costello, particularly by Emile. Charges state that the couple did not seek medical attention for the girl because they feared police would take all their children away, and resorted to covering the abuse with makeup "so they didn't look as bad."
The investigation began on July 6 when Ogden police officers were called to a residence on a report that a child was not breathing and unconscious. When officers arrived they found the girl was already deceased, and after finding the onset of rigor mortis upon examining the child, determined she had been dead well before they arrived. According to the charges several signs of abuse were readily apparent, including a large burn on her chest, as well as several bruises, contusions, lacerations, open sores, and abrasions all over the girl's body. The girl's body also showed signs of starvation, with a stomach described as "sunken in," and with limbs with no visible muscle tone or definition.
Investigators later found video and photographic evidence on the couple's cellphones detailing the extensive abuse. Two other children, a 4-year-old and a child described as younger than 3, were taken into state protective custody. Those children, however, showed no signs of abuse when they were taken.
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