05/14/2026
Tremonton couple released from jail as prosecutors continue reviewing child death investigation
A Tremonton couple arrested last week in connection with the death of their 11-year-old child has been released from jail after prosecutors did not file formal charges within the legally required time frame, prompting public statements Thursday from both the Tremonton-Garland Police Department and the Box Elder County Attorney’s Office.
Brigham Young Merrell, 35, and Melinda Marie Merrell, 36, were arrested May 6 following a months-long investigation into the September 2025 death of the child and allegations of abuse involving multiple children in the home.
Brigham Merrell was booked into the Box Elder County Jail on first-degree felony charges of child abuse homicide and child torture. Melinda Merrell was booked on a first-degree felony charge of child torture, according to probable cause statements previously filed in 1st District Court.
Judge Lee Edwards initially ordered both defendants held without bail following their arrests.
But on Thursday morning, the Tremonton-Garland Police Department announced the couple had been released because “formal charges were not filed within the legally required 72-hour window.”
In its statement, the department said detectives spent months building the case and submitted the completed investigative file to the Box Elder County Attorney’s Office for prosecution review.
“The decision of whether to file criminal charges rests solely with the Box Elder County Attorney’s Office,” the department stated. “That decision, and the timing of it, is outside the authority of this department.”
A short time later, the county attorney’s office released a statement of its own, saying TGPD “independently decided to arrest the individuals involved before submitting the cases” for a complete prosecutorial review.
According to the county attorney’s office, prosecutors are still reviewing evidence tied to what the statement described as a complex investigation involving extensive reports and evidence. The office also stated prosecutors had not yet received the complete investigative file.
The county attorney’s office said the review could not be completed before the statutory filing deadline because of “the timing of the referral and the volume and complexity of the evidence.”
The statement added that charging decisions would be made “as soon as reasonably possible and in accordance with the law and ethical obligations of this office.”
The release comes a week after probable cause affidavits alleged investigators concluded the child’s reported hanging death did not match physical evidence or scene reconstructions.
According to those affidavits, investigators alleged Brigham Merrell falsely claimed he found the child hanging from a coaxial cable inside the family’s Tremonton home Sept. 21, 2025. Detectives also alleged surveillance footage showed the child’s body being moved, portions of video deleted and evidence inside the home altered following the death.
The affidavits further alleged investigators uncovered years of abuse involving multiple children in the household, including food restriction and corporal punishment investigators described as abusive.
No formal criminal charges had been filed in 1st District Court as of Thursday afternoon.
(The News Journal is in contact with both offices, and will present more details in Wednesday's print edition of the paper.)
