Two Fayette women held for trial in fatal abuse case
Pair charged with failure to report abuse, neglect
Two Fayette County residents will face trial on allegations of failing to report abuse and neglect of three children in a Dunbar home, including a 9-year-old whose guardians are charged with killing her last year.
Theresa Shipley, 63, of Scottdale, and Sandra Umensetter, 51, of Connellsville, face three counts each of endangering welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person. Shipley, a mental health aide at Penn Highlands-Connellsville hospital in the months before the September death of Renesmay Eutsey, is charged with another three counts of failing to report suspected child abuse as a mandatory reporter.
Umensetter was held for court on all charges after a preliminary hearing Wednesday afternoon while Shipley waived her hearing.
Theresa Shipley is the mother of Sarah Shipley, who along with Kourtney Eutsey is charged with Renesmay’s death. Police said Umensetter described herself as Sarah Shipley’s best friend.
During Umensetter’s preliminary hearing, troopers presented cellphone data showing her phone had been present in the home 16 times between Aug. 1 and Sept. 4.
Over that span, Umensetter’s phone logged four days, four hours and 51 minutes at the home, including four overnight stays, said Troy Faulk, a trooper with the Pennsylvania State Police Greensburg post. Trooper Donald Morris of Uniontown testified that Umensetter also kept a bearded dragon at the house.
Visiting that often would have made the poor conditions of the children unmissable, Prosecuting Attorney Mike Aubele said.
Morris said Renesmay’s decline had stretched over years — she was in the third percentile in height and weight for her age, and had a lower weight at her autopsy than at age 3.
The other charges are tied to an 11-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy, who physicians at Kourtney Eutsey and Sarah Shipley’s preliminary hearing testified showed an extended period of physical abuse and malnourishment.
Under questioning by police, Umensetter showed some knowledge of the children’s status, saying the boy was “tiny” and that he and Renesmay Eutsey were often grounded, Morris said.
Umensetter’s attorney, Michael Ford, questioned Morris on whether the woman’s presence in the house meant she was in any position of control over the children.
“When you’re there over that timeframe, four-plus days, four times overnight, how close she is with Sarah and Courtney … she had control to get them out of the house,” Morris said.
That didn’t necessarily mean she had knowledge of the children’s welfare, Ford said. He asked District Judge Herbert Mitchell to dismiss both sets of charges against her.
Ford said while Umensetter had been one of the people in the home with the children while Sarah Shipley and Courtney Eutsey were being interviewed by police, there had not been proof she was designated as caregiver.
“They did not establish that she was the person supervising the welfare of a child,” he said.
Aubele pointed to the “long-term, not acute” patterns of abuse seen in Renesmay and the two other children.
“We have numerous visible injuries on the deceased child that would have been visible by anyone in the home,” he said.
Shipley and Umensetter are both being held in the Fayette County jail after being unable to post $100,000 bail.
They are scheduled for formal arraignment on Aug. 20.