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Murder warrant issued in Parkersburg baby girl’s death

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — An arrest warrant has been issued for a Pleasants County man who Parkersburg Police say is responsible for the death of a baby girl.

Ariella Noel Merinar, age 1, died on Tuesday.

Curtis Dean Richards, Jr.

On Thursday, investigators said they were looking for Curtis Dean Richards, Jr., 30, of St. Marys. He’s wanted for Merinar’s murder.

Richards was caring for the girl and her sister, age 2, at the time. According to investigators, Richards was the boyfriend of the girls’ mother who was at work on Tuesday morning.

Parkersburg Police said Richards had claimed the two-year-old choked the one-year-old with a blanket and she stopped breathing.

An autopsy conducted on Thursday showed the girl had severe head and neck injuries.

Richards is believed to be driving a black Toyota truck with a West Virginia license plate 4XA-886.

The Parkersburg Police Department can be reached at 304-424-8444.

 





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