Couple traveled from WA to SD with deceased daughter, police say

MITCHELL, S.D. (KELO) — Mitchell police are investigating the death of a juvenile from Washington.

According to law enforcement, individuals contacted the Davison County Coroner on December 14 stating that they would be travelling to Pine Ridge with the body of an adoptive eight-year-old daughter. Mitchell Police learned that Aleksander Kurmoyarov, 28, and Mandie Miller, 33, had traveled from Airway Heights, Washington to Mitchell with the body in a coffin in a U-Haul trailer.

Police said the girl was Miller’s adopted daughter.

The juvenile died on Sept. 10, Miller told police investigators. In a police interview, Kurmoyarov said the daughter had died just before Halloween in Washington.

Kurmoyarov told authorities that they did not seek medical attention or contact law enforcement about the death because they were afraid they would get into trouble and they wanted to spend more time with her.

Kurmoyarov and Miller had been in South Dakota for four days and in Mitchell for two days without contacting authorities.

The pair are charged with one count each of failure to notify law enforcement of death of child. The investigation is ongoing.