A California couple has been arrested on murder and child abuse charges after a 7-year-old girl died from injuries suffered at the home and 5-year-old girl was hospitalized.
Retuquel Dupree, a 27-year-old former police officer, and Jessica Savangsy, 26, were charged with murder, conspiracy, and child abuse, KCRA reported. The two victims were Savangsy’s daughters, police said.
Roseville Police officers were called the home just after 7:30 a.m. on Monday, as CrimeOnline reported. The 7-year-old “appeared to have injuries and was transported to the hospital for treatment.” Officers found the younger girl when they swept the home. They did not provide information on the injuries the two children suffered, and it’s not clear if the 5-year-old is still hospitalized.
Two other children were also found in the home, uninjured. The ages of those children were not provided, and police said the surving children are in the care of Child Protective Services.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said both Savangsy and Dupree were arrested in October on conspiracy and grand theft charges, with Dupree having an additional charge of carrying a loaded firearm in public. They posted bond in that case., KCRA said.
The Citrus Heights Police Department confirmed that Dupree was one of their officers for two months in 2021. They did provide any information about how he left the department but said he did not quit.
According to KTXL, Dupree filed a lawsuit against the Citrus Heights department claiming he was wrongfully fired after the mother of his two daughters filed a “false” police report claiming he pushed her. The status of that lawsuit is not known.
The Sacramento Bee reported that he worked as a community safety officer at Sierra College for six months last year before he was placed on administrative leave. The college would not provide further information.
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[Featured image: Retuquel Dupree and Jessica Savangsy/Placer County Sheriff’s Office]