Khaleesi: Aggravated murder charges filed against suspects in case of missing Staunton girl

VERONA — Eight months after authorities proclaimed that 3-year-old Khaleesi Cuthriell was missing, Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith and Commonwealth's Attorney Tim Martin announced Tuesday morning at a press conference that murder charges have been filed against a couple that was supposed to be taking care of the child.

Travis R. Brown, 30, and Candi Jo Royer, 42, have both been charged with aggravated murder in Khaleesi's death.

There was no announcement the child's body has been found.

At a September press conference last year, Smith pleaded for the public's help in locating the missing child. But less than three weeks later, the sheriff said she was dead.

"In February of 2021, she was gone," Smith said Tuesday at the press conference, held at the sheriff's office on Lee Highway in Verona.

Khaleesi was the daughter of Amanda G. Arey, a Staunton woman who authorities said gave her child to Royer in 2020 just days before being locked up in Middle River Regional Jail.

Court files show Arey struggled with methamphetamine use, and she was in and out of jail for several years.

In April 2020, Arey was released on bond from Middle River Regional Jail. But that summer, she was discharged from her intensive outpatient group after her substance abuse case manager informed Arey's probation and parole officer that she'd failed to complete a single session, a violation report noted.

Arey's probation was revoked once again, and after she failed to show up for jail as promised, a capias for her arrest was issued. Authorities arrested her in October 2020 and she was incarcerated at Middle River Regional Jail.

The next month, Royer posted on her Facebook page about a "new addition to our family" as pictures of Khaleesi were shown.

But in September 2021, the Augusta County Sheriff's Office put out a press release concerning a missing person — Candi Jo Royer — and said she might be with Brown. The next day, Arey told jail authorities about her arrangement.

"On Sept. 4, 2021, Khaleesi's mother reported that Khaleesi was in the care of Candi Royer and Travis Brown," Smith said Tuesday.

On Sept. 20, a day before the toddler's death was reported, numerous Virginia State Police search and recovery vehicles were at 249 Cattle Scales Road in Waynesboro, where both Royer and Brown previously lived. Smith said the couple rented the home from one of Brown's relatives. An adjacent property was also searched by the recovery teams.

Pennsylvania State Police and the United States Marshals Service arrested Brown and Royer at a motel in South Greensburg, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 12 after the suspects fled the state. Both were extradited to Virginia.

Besides the aggravated murder charges, Brown and Royer also face charges of felony murder, unlawfully concealing a dead body, conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, conspiracy to commit child abuse and conspiracy to conceal a dead body. Brown faces an additional charge of child abuse.

Local, state and federal authorities are involved in the investigation. "And I can tell you from first-hand experience, after 15 years in this line of work, I have never seen a more thorough or intense investigation than this one," Martin said.

At the press conference, Martin said he couldn't discuss the facts of the case. "These folks are gonna to be tried one day, and it's incredibly important to me that ... the integrity of that trial is just unimpeachable," he said.

The prosecutor did make a specific request at the press conference, and asked that anyone who came into contact with Khaleesi while she was in the care of Royer and Brown to contact the sheriff's office in the next day or two.

"But do so sooner than later if you intend to do it," Martin said.

Brown is incarcerated at Middle River Regional Jail. Royer is being held at the Rockingham-Harrisonburg Regional Jail.

The Augusta County grand jury indicted the suspects Monday on the charges. They face the possibility of life in prison if convicted of aggravated murder.

"When harm comes to a child in this community, we will leave no stone unturned," Smith said.

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Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Khaleesi: Two suspects charged with murder in girl's disappearance