The case is moving along against a Redding couple accused in the death of their 2-year-old child. In January, 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. Both were questioned by Sheriff’s Major Crimes Detectives and it was allegedly learned that their 2-year-old daughter had been physically abused and died in October of 2023, then 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 in October and entered not guilty pleas. They were back in court this week, and preliminary hearing dates and other pre-trial proceedings have been set for mid-April. Riley and Amanda Royal are both being held without bail.
-Steve Gibson