A Washington mother received the maximum sentence for torturing her 8-year-old adopted daughter to death, then keeping the child’s corpse in their home for months before transporting it across state lines in a U-Haul trailer—a horrific case that exposes critical failures in our adoption oversight system and the protection of vulnerable children.
Story Highlights
- Mandie Miller sentenced to 32 years, 4 months for killing adopted daughter Meela through starvation and torture
- Couple kept child’s body in home for months to “spend more time with her” before cross-country U-Haul transport
- Home security cameras captured undisputed evidence of hours-long restraint, assault, and fatal abuse
- Case reveals oversight gaps in private family adoptions, particularly aunt-to-niece placements
Maximum Sentence Delivered in Spokane County Court
Mandie Miller, 36, received the maximum prison term of 32 years and 4 months on February 6, 2026, in Spokane County Courthouse after pleading guilty to homicide by abuse, second-degree assault of a child, and two counts of unlawful imprisonment with domestic violence enhancements. Deputy Prosecutor Emily Sullivan pushed for the maximum sentence, describing the acts as among the worst crimes against a child—”hours upon hours, day after day” of restraint, assault, starvation, and torture, all undisputed through the couple’s own home security camera footage.
Documentation of Systematic Torture and Death
Meela Miller, Miller’s 8-year-old adopted daughter and biological niece, died in September 2022 after enduring systematic torture in the Airway Heights home near Spokane. The child was repeatedly restrained for hours with zip ties to a car seat, assaulted, and deliberately starved to death. The couple’s own security cameras captured the escalating abuse, providing prosecutors with irrefutable evidence that eliminated any possibility of defense. This documentation stands as a chilling reminder that evil can flourish even under electronic surveillance when no external oversight exists to intervene on behalf of helpless children.
Cross-State Body Transport Discovered at Funeral Home
After Meela’s death, Miller and her boyfriend Aleksander Kurmoyarov, 31, kept the child’s corpse in their home from September through December 2022, claiming they wanted to “spend more time with her.” In December 2022, they rented a U-Haul trailer, placed the body in a coffin, and drove from Spokane, Washington, to Mitchell, South Dakota. The couple’s arrest came only after funeral home staff in Mitchell contacted police due to the lack of proper death documentation. Kurmoyarov pleaded guilty to murder, assault, and unlawful imprisonment, with his sentencing scheduled for February 10, 2026, under a plea deal that removed the possibility of a life sentence.
Adoption System Failures and Family Grief
The case highlights dangerous gaps in Washington state’s adoption oversight, particularly in private family adoptions where Miller, herself a former foster care child, adopted her biological niece with apparently no meaningful monitoring or intervention safeguards. During the sentencing hearing, family members provided emotional victim impact statements, with Rose Miller speaking for the “third child” lost, named after her sister Amelia. Family members expressed forgiveness through their Christian faith while pleading for systemic changes to prevent future abuse. Miller offered an apology acknowledging her own foster care trauma but accepting partial responsibility—a statement that rings hollow against the documented evidence of deliberate, calculated torture.
Washington mom sentenced after killing 8-year-old adopted daughter, driving body across states in U-Haul months later https://t.co/KUfTnnRcv2 pic.twitter.com/MDjeMLlcjW
— New York Post (@nypost) February 9, 2026
This case demands serious examination of how adoptive homes are monitored, especially in private family placements that may escape the scrutiny applied to traditional foster-to-adopt arrangements. The constitutional role of government in protecting children must be balanced against family autonomy, but when a child dies from months of torture while cameras record every moment and no external authority intervenes, that balance has catastrophically failed. Spokane County’s child welfare system and Washington state adoption policies require immediate review to ensure proper checks exist for vulnerable children placed in family adoptions, where biological relationships can create false assumptions of safety.
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Couple kept child’s starved corpse in U-Haul for months to ‘spend more time with her’
