The case has been delayed for a Redding couple accused in the death of their 2-year-old child. In January of last year, deputies were asked to check on the welfare of the toddler, but there was no answer at the door of the house on Sunset Lane. 29-year-old Riley Royal and 25-year-old Amanda Royal were contacted by phone and claimed they weren’t home, but they apparently were. When Sheriff’s Major Crimes Detectives questioned them they allegedly learned that the couple’s 2-year-old daughter had been physically abused and died in October of 2023, then she was buried in the Whiskeytown area. The child’s body was exhumed and an autopsy showed the cause of death was murder. The Royals were arrested last October and entered not guilty pleas. A long cause preliminary hearing set for Friday has been continued until October 3rd. Riley and Amanda royal are both being held without bail.
-Steve Gibson