The Investigation

Pictures of Riley

Riley's Island

The Traumatic Find

In the late evening hours of Monday, October 29, 2007, a lone fisherman found a plastic container washed up on the beach of an uninhabited island in Galveston Bay.  Inside the container was something that the fisherman may live with in his nightmares for the rest of his life.  The decomposing body of a small girl had been placed in the box, inside black trash bags.  She wore pink and white clothes adn light up tennis shoes.  He called 911.

Investigators determined that the child had been dead no less than 2 weeks.  An autopsy showed skull fractures.  Officials said preliminary autopsy results revealed the body was that of a 2-5-year-old white female, 32 inches to 34 inches tall, weighing between 25 and 30 pounds.   She was wearing a pink 3/4-sleeve pullover top and a pink broom skirt. Both were the Cherokee brand sized 2T.   The girl also wore size 8.5 white and purple tennis shoes with small lights in the heels.

Over the next several day's and weeks, the Galveston County Sheriff's Department and the FBI worked diligently to identify this child.  She was nicknamed "Baby Grace" by investigators.  Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo, spokesperson for the Galveston County Sheriff's Office said "“It’s very frustrating, being a father of a son and two daughters.” Lead sheriff’s office investigator Sgt. Mike Barry said. “I believe everyone in the group (of investigators) behind me is taking this very personal. We will do whatever it takes to get the identity of Baby Grace.”

The case has been emotionally draining on investigators, Galveston County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo said.

“The name Grace means given,” he said. “She’s given us, in her death, emotions we don’t get to experience very often. She is a person. She is missed by someone. It’s absolutely critical that we hear from them.”

A Possible Identity

Investigators worked tirelessly to identify this little child, and they took this case very personally.  In early November, a call came in from a family in Ohio.  A grandmother had seen the picture on the internet, and felt it bore a remarkable resemblance to her missing granddaughter.  Investigators began working that angle.

Sheryl Ann Sawyers was that grandmother.  She was the grandmother of 2 year old Riley Ann Sawyers.  Riley was the daughter of Sheryl's son Robert and his former girlfriend, Kimberly Trenor.  Robert and Kimberly had lived with Sheryl from the time Kimberly became pregnant until baby Riley Ann Sawyers was a little over 2 years old.  By that time, Robert and Kimberly's relationship had soured, and Kimberly was spending a great deal of time playing online video games.  She met a man on the internet, who convinced her to move to Texas and marry him.  In late May, 2007, Kimberly packed herself and Riley up and moved to Texas, without leaving any forwarding address information.

Robert and Sheryl frantically began searching for Riley.  Because Kimberly had "primary custody", Robert was unable to file a missing person report on Riley.  Kimberly's family would not cooperate.  Finally, in late July, the Sawyers attorney tracked them down in Spring, TX which is near Houston, through Kimberly's application for a TX driver license.  Each time thereafter that they would call to talk to Riley, they would be told that she was sleeping, or outside.

Where is Riley Ann?

As the investigation into "Who is Baby Grace"? continued, more and more focus shifted to Kimberly Trenor, mother of Riley Ann Sawyers from Mentor, Ohio and her new husband, Royce Ziegler.  Kimberly and Royce had married and were living in Spring, TX.  Investigators went to check on Riley Ann, only to be told a strange story by Kimberly.  According to Kimberly and Royce, someone posing as a CPS worker from Ohio came to the house in Spring, threw Kimberly down and took Riley because of a complaint filed with Ohio Child Protective Services.  Yet, Kimberly never filed a missing person report or checked into the legality of the supposed removal of Riley.

Finally, Answers

On November 23, Kimberly Trenor, accompanied by her attorney, spoke with investigators from the Galveston County Sheriff's Office and gave a statement that detailed the brutal murder of 2 year old Riley Ann Sawyers.  The statement implicated both Kimberly and Royce Zeigler in the child's death.  Kimberly and Royce were arrested and held on charges of injury to a child.  On December 13, when DNA analysis was completed and Baby Grace was formally identified as Riley Ann Sawyers, charges were upgraded to Capital Murder against both defendants.  At the time of this posting, both are awaiting trial and being held under $750,000 bond in Galveston County County Jail.  Kimberly is pregnant, with a due date of sometime in late spring or early summer of 2008.

Details of the murder have been made public, but will not be posted on this website due to their graphic nature.