A September emergency call led to May arrests after police said a multiagency investigation found evidence of homicide and torture.
TREMONTON, Utah — More than seven months after an 11-year-old boy died at a Tremonton home, police arrested his parents and said the death was tied to child torture, not an accidental hanging.
The gap between the Sept. 21, 2025, 911 call and the May arrests reflects the pace of a case police described as an exhaustive multiagency investigation. Brigham Young Merrell, 35, was arrested on child abuse homicide and child torture allegations in the death of Moroni Merrell. Melinda Marie Merrell, 36, was arrested on a child torture allegation. Investigators said they waited until forensic evidence, video and interviews supported probable cause.
On the day Moroni died, Brigham Merrell told a dispatcher he had found his child hanging by a coaxial cable, according to police. He also said he was giving CPR. When Tremonton Garland officers reached the home, the affidavit says, they found him kneeling next to the boy and not performing CPR. Emergency responders began treatment and transported the child to a local hospital, where he was declared dead. Officers later noted that while paramedics were treating the child, Brigham Merrell left the room to change clothes. Police described that act as consistent with an effort to hide or destroy physical evidence.
The first weeks after the death became important to investigators. Police said that within a week, multiple items were discarded from the residence, surfaces were painted over and rooms were altered. Investigators also reviewed home surveillance footage that they said contradicted the report of a hanging. The footage allegedly showed Brigham Merrell carrying Moroni from another room to the upstairs bedroom where the hanging was said to have taken place. A separate clip allegedly showed him carrying the lifeless child past first responders who were knocking at the door. Police said he has not given a consistent explanation for moving the body.
As the investigation continued, detectives compared the video timeline with Brigham Merrell’s interviews. Police said his answers changed over several months on key points, including who found the child, what position the child was in and what led up to the emergency call. Investigators said the video helped create a timeline that did not match his account. The affidavit also said no other adults were home at the time of the incident. That left detectives focused on the actions of the father during the 911 call, the movement of the child inside the house and the minutes before first responders entered.
The forensic review deepened the suspicion, police said. Investigators said Moroni’s injuries did not fit the account that he died from hanging by a coaxial cable. The affidavit described ligature marks that police believed were caused by another force. It also noted bruising on the child’s back that appeared to have happened immediately before or during death and did not appear to be tied to a hanging. Brigham Merrell allegedly told investigators the marks could be from a belt. Both parents allegedly said they did not know what caused the bruising.
The inquiry then moved from the death scene into the household history. Police said interviews with surviving children, friends of the children and the parents produced years-long allegations of abuse and torture. Children described food restrictions and corporal punishment that allegedly left bruises. Police said the affidavit mentioned belts, pans and other items being used to whip children. One child alleged seeing Moroni die after a whipping from Brigham Merrell. Another allegation said children were sent to stay in an outside dog run when they were in trouble. Detectives said they found video footage supporting several of the claims.
Melinda Merrell’s alleged conduct became the basis for a separate child torture accusation. Police said footage showed her directly participating in beatings or watching while Brigham Merrell participated. The affidavit said she told investigators she checked for bruising two days after a whipping so the parents could adjust their methods. She allegedly described using pans because spoons left marks. Police wrote that both parents admitted abuse and said they should have looked into Utah law before moving there. The affidavit said Melinda Merrell stated she was not taught that leaving marks on children was unacceptable.
The arrests were announced after police said they determined the death was not accidental and that the evidence showed an ongoing pattern of physical abuse involving Moroni and other children. The surviving children were referred to child welfare agencies. Police said they would not release more details about the victim or children connected to the case because of their privacy. The department said it is committed to seeing the case prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for Moroni and the surviving children. The accusations remain allegations unless proven in court.
The court process is now the next stage. Brigham Merrell was booked into the Box Elder County Jail on allegations that include homicide and torture. Melinda Merrell was booked on a torture allegation. Reports immediately after the arrests did not make clear whether they had entered pleas or had attorneys available to comment. Prosecutors will have to present the case through court filings, hearings and evidence rules, while child welfare officials handle the separate status of the children removed from the home.
The investigation has moved from a 911 report to criminal charges built on what police say happened before, during and after the emergency response. The next public developments are expected through Box Elder County court proceedings.
Author note: Last updated May 28, 2026.