A Utah father, Neal English Colby, 32, has been charged with first-degree child abuse homicide and child endangerment resulting in death following the death of his nearly 7-month-old daughter, Celia Aurora Colby. The infant was discovered unresponsive in a basement littered with drugs and paraphernalia on January 17, 2025.
Officers responded to Colby's home in Murray, Utah, where they found the infant's mother performing CPR. The baby was transported to a hospital but was pronounced dead in the ambulance. According to court documents, the infant's mother, who was separated from Colby but lived in the same house, had entrusted Celia to his care at approximately 2:30 a.m. She reported that she woke later to Colby yelling and found the baby with fluid coming from her mouth. She stated she began CPR and called 911 when Colby allegedly refused.
Investigators determined that Colby had left the home around 3:20 a.m. to visit a known drug area, leaving Celia unsupervised in the basement for approximately 43 minutes. During the investigation, authorities found reddish fluid on a blanket, bottles of urine, and drugs in the basement. A review by the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office noted unexplained abrasions on the infant's face, including her nostrils, which could be consistent with a caregiver pinching a child's nose shut. The medical examiner certified the baby's manner of death as undetermined, though asphyxia could not be ruled out.
A pediatrician who reviewed the case warned that the conditions in which the infant was found were harmful and potentially dangerous, citing the presence of human and animal waste, as well as illicit drugs. Colby was taken into custody and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail, where he is being held without bail pending trial.