Murder of Riley Ann Sawyers

Riley Ann Sawyers
Kimberly Dawn Trenor
Born	Riley Ann Sawyers (2005-03-11)March 11, 2005 Mentor, Ohio, U.S.
Died	July 24, 2007(2007-07-24) (aged 2) Spring, Texas, U.S.
Cause of death	Homicide by beating. Child abuse[1]
Body discovered	October 29, 2007 Galveston Bay, Texas
Resting place	Ashes buried at Mentor Municipal Cemetery, Mentor, Ohio 41.6387°N 81.3178°W / 41.6387; -81.3178 (approximate)
Nationality	American
Other names	Baby Grace
Known for	Victim of child abuse and child murder
Parent(s)	Kimberly Dawn Trenor (mother) Royce Zeigler (father)

Riley Ann Sawyers (March 11, 2005 – July 24, 2007) was a 2-year-old American girl who was beaten to death by her mother Kimberly Dawn Trenor and stepfather Royce Zeigler in a filicide. Her body was later found in Galveston Bay, Texas.^[2]

Police were not able to identify the body when they saw it. They began a nationwide effort to learn the child's name.^[2] When Riley Ann's grandmother, Sheryl Sawyers, saw a drawing (composite sketch) made of the body, she knew that it was Riley Ann. She then told the police. After DNA testing on November 30, 2007, experts were certain that it was Riley Ann.^[3][4][5][6]

Before she was identified in 2007, Riley Ann Sawyers was known as Baby Grace because of her age and sex.

References

1. People v. Kimberly Dawn Trenor
2. "'Baby Grace' Sketch Unleashes Wave of Tips". ABC News. Associated Press. November 5, 2007. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
3. Sara McDonald (November 30, 2007). "DNA confirms Sawyers is 'Baby Grace'". Galveston Daily News. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
4. Harvey Rice (November 30, 2007). "DNA test confirms Riley Sawyers is Baby Grace". Houston Chronicle.
5. "Resolved Cases". www.doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
6. "Royce Zeigler, stepfather of 'Baby Grace' -- Riley Ann Sawyer -- sentenced to life for murder". Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland Scene. 7 November 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2016.

Further reading

• Franscell, Ron (2010). Crime Buff's Guide to Outlaw Texas. Connecticut: Morris Book Publishing. pp. 29–30. ISBN 978-0-762-75965-1.
• Gibson, Lois (2008). Forensic Art Essentials: A Manual for Law Enforcement Artists. New York: Associated Press. ISBN 978-0-12370-898-4.
• Meyer, Cheryl; Oberman, Michelle; White, Kelly (2001). Mothers who Kill Their Children. New York: New York University Press. ISBN 0-814-75643-3.
• Stone, Michael H. (2009). The Anatomy of Evil. United States of America: Prometheus Books. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-977-37833-0.

Other websites

• "Zeigler's arrest affidavit" (PDF). (1.94 MiB)
• Riley Ann Sawyers at Find a Grave