Couple arrested after police find daughter’s body in U-Haul trailer

MITCHELL, S.D. — A couple was arrested after allegedly traveling from Washington state to South Dakota with the body of an 8-year-old in a trailer.

>> Read more trending news

Aleksander Kurmoyarov and his girlfriend, Mandie Miller, were arrested after police said they contacted the Davison County coroner to alert them that they were traveling with their daughter’s body, the Mitchell Police Department said in a news release.

Investigators said the pair had been traveling from Airway Heights, Washington, to Mitchell, South Dakota, with the body of Miller’s dead 8-year-old adoptive daughter in the trailer. Mitchell police officers said they located the couple at a residence in Mitchell with a U-Haul trailer outside. Inside the trailer was a coffin containing the 8-year-old’s body, police said.

In an interview with police, Kurmoyarov said the child died in Airway Heights shortly before Halloween. Miller told officers her daughter died on Sept. 10, 2022.

Officers said the couple admitted they did not seek medical attention for the child and said “they wanted to spend more time with her” and were afraid of getting into trouble, KSFY reported.

Investigators said the pair made no attempt to tell Washington state officials about the child’s death, and said they had been in South Dakota for approximately four days before calling the coroner, according to the Mitchell Republic.

Kurmoyarov and Miller are each charged with one count of failure to notify law enforcement of the death of a child, KELO reported.

Officers said they are continuing to investigate the case in conjunction with authorities in Washington state. Police did not specify the child’s cause of death.

©2022 Cox Media Group