Clark County coroner says blunt force caused 5-year-old’s death

The Clark County coroner’s office determined that a young girl who died at a local hospital after a reported medical episode was killed by blunt force injuries. Her death was ruled a homicide.

Janiyah Russell, 5, was rushed to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center on Sept. 12 after someone called 911 dispatch seeking help for a child who was “suffering a medical episode” at The Suites, an extended-stay apartment complex near Boulder Highway and Twain Avenue, police said. She died less than an hour later.

The following day, her father’s girlfriend was arrested on suspicion of murder. Shevhuan Miller, 23, faces one count of open murder and one count of child abuse or neglect resulting in substantial bodily harm, according to jail records.

After Miller’s first hearing, family members told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that she had been watching the girl before she was hospitalized.

Miller is currently held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 2.

Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0365. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.