Police say a months-long investigation found evidence of long-term abuse and a staged scene.
TREMONTON, Utah — A Tremonton couple was arrested Wednesday after police said their 11-year-old son died following abuse and torture inside the family’s home in September.
Brigham Young Merrell, 35, was booked into the Box Elder County Jail for investigation of child abuse homicide and child torture. His wife, Melinda Marie Merrell, 36, was arrested for investigation of child torture. Police said the arrests followed a multiagency investigation that began with a 911 call on Sept. 21, 2025.
According to police booking affidavits, Brigham Merrell called 911 and said he had found his child hanging by a coaxial cable. He told dispatchers he was performing CPR, but officers said they found him kneeling near the child and not giving CPR when they arrived. Emergency responders treated the boy at the home, and he was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Police said no other adults were home at the time.
Investigators said Brigham Merrell’s account changed during repeated interviews. Police said his statements varied about who found the child, the child’s position and what happened before the 911 call. Camera footage from inside the home also became a key part of the case. Police said the video showed Merrell carrying the child from another room into an upstairs bedroom before emergency responders entered. The affidavit said he carried the lifeless child past responders who were knocking at the door.
The child’s injuries also raised concerns for investigators. A forensic examination found marks and bruising that police said did not match Brigham Merrell’s account of a hanging. Officers reported a cluster of bruises on the boy’s back that appeared to have happened shortly before or during death. Both parents told investigators they did not know what caused the bruising, though Brigham Merrell said it could have come from a belt.
Police said interviews with children, friends and both parents showed yearslong allegations of abuse inside the home. The affidavits described food restriction, beatings with belts, pans and other items, and claims that children were sent to stay in an outside dog run as punishment. One child told investigators the victim died after receiving what was described as a whooping from Brigham Merrell. Police said Melinda Merrell told investigators she checked bruises after beatings and changed methods when some objects left marks.
Investigators said both parents admitted to abuse and said they should have looked into Utah law before moving to the state. Police said video showed Melinda Merrell either taking part in beatings or watching while her husband did so. Police also said items were discarded from the home, surfaces were painted and rooms were altered in the week after the boy’s death. Officers described those actions as possible efforts to hide or destroy evidence.
Tremonton-Garland police said the child’s identity was not released by the department out of respect for his dignity and to protect other children connected to the case. A fundraising page created after the death identified the boy as Moroni Merrell. Police said the other children in the home were referred to child welfare agencies.
The department said the arrests came only after an exhaustive multiagency investigation. Prosecutors had not announced formal charges in court records cited by police at the time of the arrests. The case remains under review as investigators continue preparing evidence tied to the boy’s death and the alleged abuse of surviving children.
Author note: Last updated May 10, 2026.