Month: March 2026

CNN Newsource

Originally Published: 31 MAR 26 14:34 ET

By Tim Vandenack

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    OGDEN, Utah (KSL) — An Ogden man charged in the death of his 4-month old daughter has been sentenced to about seven months jail.

Nicholas James Horsley, 28, pleaded guilty on Feb. 4 to reduced charges of aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony, and endangerment of a child, a third-degree felony, in connection with the Dec. 27, 2024, incident that led to the death of his daughter. Judge Craig Hall sentenced him on March 18 to 210 days of jail, with credit for 148 days already served, and placed him on probation for four years.

Horsley also received suspended prison sentences of one to 15 years on the aggravated child abuse charge and zero to five years on the child endangerment charge. Sentencing documents say Horsley is to serve his remaining jail time “on electronic monitoring” but don’t specify where he’s to serve it.

Horsley was originally charged with child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony, but pleaded guilty to reduced charges as part of a plea deal. The plea deal doesn’t specify exactly what happened to Horsley’s daughter, but says medical scans show the girl “had sustained a catastrophic brain bleed, which was caused by nonaccidental abusive head trauma.” The girl’s mom had reported that the girl was “responsive and normal” before Horsley took her to another room.

The child endangerment charge stemmed from the presence of marijuana in Horsley’s home when authorities were called to the scene. “While investigators were on scene, the couple’s 18-month-old toddler was observed reaching for a pile of marijuana on the coffee table and had to be encouraged to leave the marijuana alone,” court documents state.

Horsley was ordered to get therapy “with a particular focus on boundary setting, victim empathy and parenting skills.” The two sides reached accord that the “sentencing matrix” in the case calls for 105 days of incarceration, according to the plea deal.

“Nick presents with an intellectual disability alongside symptoms of anxiety and depression. These conditions, supported by diagnostic history, appear to have influenced his functioning and may help explain aspects of the behavior underlying the current allegations,” reads a mitigation report in the case prepared by his lawyer. It said he has used marijuana “to regulate emotions” but no longer uses the drug “and understands the importance of sobriety moving forward.”

Horsley’s partner and the mother of the girl who died defended the man in a statement to the court as part of sentencing.

“I am not saying that the way things played out should have happened or that we should have let things get as bad as they did, but I am saying that we tried. Nick loves all the kids with all his heart and would do anything for them even today and I know he is not the monster people are trying to make him believe he is,” she wrote.

Weber County Attorney Christopher Allred said some “evidentiary issues” with medical examiners factored in reducing the charge Horsley faced from child abuse homicide to aggravated child abuse. According to a spokeswoman from Utah State Courts, “the child was also seriously ill at the time of death, which the attorneys acknowledge could have contributed to the death.”

The sentence, Allred said, was consistent with recommendations from state probation and parole officials. Hall asked prosecutors if they would seek additional jail time, “and the prosecution responded that they were not,” said the court spokeswoman.

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CNN Newsource

Originally Published: 31 MAR 26 14:28 ET

By Shelby Lofton

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    SPRINGVILLE, Utah (KSL) — The discovery of human remains in the mountains above Springville over the weekend is stirring a mix of hope and anxiety for families of missing people across Utah.

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that human bones were found in a remote, rugged area above Springville after a horseback rider came across them Saturday. Investigators believe the remains had been there for some time.

Sheriff’s officials said they would return to the scene on Monday to complete evidence collection. The remains will be sent to the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner. Officials said they do not have updates on the investigation at this time.

The location where the remains were found has no cell service and is difficult to access, investigators said. Authorities have not released additional details about the exact location.

Utah maintains a cold case database through the Department of Public Safety that includes hundreds of unsolved homicides, missing persons cases and unidentified human remains. Local law enforcement agencies are responsible for adding and updating information in the database as investigations continue.

The database includes images and descriptions of unidentified remains, such as sketches, photographs of clothing and footwear, estimated age ranges, and the dates on which the remains were found. A public tip hotline is also available for anyone with information related to cases.

As of Monday, there were no recently logged unidentified remains from Utah County in the state database.

Brock Best, executive director of Utah Homicide Survivors, an organization that provides legal and therapy resources for families of homicide victims, said discoveries like this often bring complicated emotions.

“For some families, getting that call can help them take the next steps and provide some closure,” Best said. “For others, it can be deeply retraumatizing.”

Best said families coping with missing loved ones often live in a state of uncertainty, making moments like this particularly difficult.

“They have to go through all of those emotions again, not only, ‘Gosh, we were so sad when our loved ones were missing,'” he said. “Now to find out that they have been out in the elements alone and have been taken from us in an unnatural way, it’s got to be incredibly difficult.”

Utah Homicide Survivors has not received any calls connected to the remains found in Utah County, Best said, but the organization is closely monitoring developments.

Authorities said updates will be released if new information becomes available. While the remains have not been identified, the discovery has reignited conversations about missing person and cold cases across the state.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

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Seth Ratliff

UPDATED: MARCH 31 4:30 PM

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — A bill aimed at ending what supporters call “secretive transitions” in Idaho schools and healthcare settings is heading to the Governor’s desk. House Bill 822, also known as the Pediatric Secretive Transitions Parental Rights Act, passed the Idaho Senate on Monday in a 27–8 vote.

Opponents have criticized the bill, saying it forces trusted adults to either ‘out’ minors to their parents within 72 hours or face devastating civil penalties.

Trans Idahoans argue the bill puts youth at risk

Also known as the Pediatric Secretive Transitions Parental Rights Act, the bill would mandate that teachers or healthcare providers report any request by a child to change their name, pronouns, or dress to a gender different from their biological sex to parents. Under the proposed law, schools or doctors who fail to comply could face lawsuits and civil penalties of up to $100,000.

While supporters say the measure strengthens parental rights, critics argue it could put youth at risk. Leah McNeal, a trans woman and local LGBTQ advocate, argues that forcibly outing a child could have catastrophic consequences.

“What I worry is that children already sometimes don’t feel safe. And the concept of identity is so complicated,” said McNeal. “Let that stay with teachers, counselors, and the children by forcibly outing a child who might be questioning something. It’s going to have catastrophic effects. And I think that I worry about the mental health of some of these kids.”

Closing the ‘Social Transition’ Loophole

Supporters of the legislation argue it comes down to a parental rights issue. Senate co-sponsor Ben Toews (R-Coeur d’Alene) told lawmakers that the legislation builds on Idaho’s Vulnerable Child Protection Act, which banned gender affirming care for minors. While the law has faced legal challenges, in 2024 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled allowed Idaho to enforce the law while litigation proceeds in lower courts.

Toews says HB 822 is intended to close a loophole in that law that allows for social transitions.

“This legislation upholds parental rights through transparency. It is about protecting the most important relationships in a child’s life, and allowing parents to do their job without being kept in the dark,” Toews told lawmakers Monday.

Critics Warn of State Overreach

Opponents argue that several major medical groups support gender-affirming care as medically safe and even necessary. Senator Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise) argued that the majority of those who signed up to speak on the bill in committee, including Idaho physicians, were opposed to the legislation.

“I think this bill is one more that’s just over-controlling overreach and just goes far beyond what’s necessary. And again, we respect parents, absolutely. But we also have to respect the people doing their jobs,” said Wintrow.

Two Senate Republicans, Sen. Jim Guthrie (McCammon) and Sen. Jim Woodward (Sagle), joined Democrats in opposing the bill, citing concerns over the state inserting itself into family dynamics and the severity of the $100,000 fines.

The legislative debate surrounding the bill has been marked by significant tension between parties. Earlier this month, the House Republican supermajority voted to suspend rules to block a formal minority report from the official House Journal, an action Democrats called an “egregious abuse of power.” Monday, the Senate Republican majority allowed Senate Democrats to submit a six-page minority opinion.

ACLU Denounces Bill as ‘Weaponized’ Government Overreach

Following Monday’s vote, the ACLU of Idaho released a statement denouncing the bill as “a sweeping act of government overreach.”

“Idaho lawmakers have offered no credible evidence that a young person’s choice of name, pronouns, dress, or appearance poses any short or long-term harm to them; instead, HB 822 weaponizes the law to police youth expression and silence trusted adults, undermining free speech protections and violating the privacy of every Idaho student,” wrote spokesperson Taylor Munson.

The ACLU argues the “extreme and unconstitutional bill” would curtail teachers, counselors, and medical professionals’ ability to provide support and medical and mental health care to minors who need a trusted adult.

Governor Little now has five days to sign the bill, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature.

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