Father, Stepmother Charged in Elk River Girl’s Death

ELK RIVER (AP) -- The father and stepmother of an 8-year-old Elk River girl are charged with murder after the emaciated girl was found dead in the family's apartment.

Thirty-year-old Brett Hallow and 28-year-old Sarah Hallow were charged Monday in  Sherburne County with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter.

The charges stem from the death of Autumn Hallow. According to the charges, police came to the home Thursday after being told the girl was partly submerged in a bathtub.

Police saw Sarah Hallow giving the girl chest compression, even though her body was rigid. Another child told police the couple would tie up the girl with a belt and put her in a sleeping bag. She weighed 45 pounds at the time of her death.