Utah parents Brigham Young Merrell and Melinda Marie Merrell were arrested on May 7, 2026, nearly eight months after the death of their 11-year-old son Moroni, whom they told police had died by suicide by hanging, a claim investigators say was staged.
Brigham Merrell is 35, and Melinda Merrell is 36. Police said both were arrested in connection with a case that now includes child abuse, homicide, and child torture allegations.
Brigham Merrell was booked into the Box Elder County Jail on charges of child abuse, homicide, and child torture, while Melinda Merrell was booked on one count of child torture, according to the Tremonton Garland Police Department, according to People.
Authorities said the arrests followed an investigation into the boy's death in Tremonton, Utah, on Sept. 21, 2025.
Brigham Merrell called 911 that day and said he found his son hanging by a coaxial cable and was performing CPR, police said. When officers arrived, they found him kneeling next to the child but not doing CPR, according to a probable cause affidavit. The boy was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead.
Investigators said surveillance video and other evidence pointed to staging and concealment. Police said footage showed Brigham carrying the child from another room, walking past emergency personnel at the door, and taking him upstairs to the room where the hanging was reported.
Authorities also said items were discarded from the home, surfaces were painted over, and rooms were altered within days of the death, the Independent reported.
A forensic examination found the ligature marks on Moroni's neck were not consistent with hanging and appeared to result from another force, police said. Investigators also said bruising on his back appeared to have occurred just before or during his death. When asked about the bruising, Brigham Merrell told police it could have come from a belt.
Police said interviews with friends, neighbors, teachers, and school officials found no evidence that Moroni was suicidal. The surviving children told investigators about years of abuse that included food restriction, beatings with belts and kitchen pans, and being forced to stay in an outdoor dog kennel as punishment.
Both parents admitted to the abuse during separate interviews, according to the affidavit. Melinda Merrell told investigators she checked the children for bruises after whippings to adjust the method of punishment, including switching from spoons to pans because the spoons left visible marks, as per KSL.
