Blue Star Chronicles

Kimberly Dawn Trenor goes on trial this week in Texas for the 2007 murder of her daughter, Riley Ann Sawyers also known as Baby Grace. Read more about the story below and see a photo and video.

Kimberly Dawn Trenor

Riley Ann Sawyers (aka Baby Grace ) was born in Ohio on March 11, 2005. She was murdered on July 24, 2007. Her biological mother Kimberly Dawn Trenor and step-father Royce Clyde Zeigler II have been charged with her torture/murder.

After having her trial postponed last fall, Kimberly Dawn Trenor will be having her day(s) in court this coming week in Texas for the brutal murder of her little girl, Riley Ann, or as we all came to know her, Baby Grace. A blue Sterilite tub containing a child’s tiny corpse had washed ashore in Galveston Bay, Texas. The mystery surrounding this baby and her death was the talk of many for over a month.

Trenor pleaded guilty to a charge of evidence tampering last week but will not be sentenced until after the murder trial.

Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty for Trenor or her husband Royce Clyde Zeigler II because they felt they couldn’t prove either of them to be a future danger ….. one of the requirements for the harshest of punishments. They both remain in Galveston County jail under $850,000 bail.

Ms. Tremor gave birth to a son, Shawn, last June. She relinquished her parental rights, Royce Zeigler did not. Little Shawn is currently living in Dallas with distant relatives.

Royce Zeigler and Kimberly Trenor met through the online game World of Warcraft. They hit it off well enough in that game that Kimberly moved from Mentor, Ohio to Texas with her 2-year-old daughter Riley Ann Sawyers in June of 2007.

Robert Sawyers, 20, and Trenor,19, had Riley while they were still teens. The 3 lived with Robert’s mother, Sheryl Sawyers until Kimberly met Royce Zeigler online, packed up and left.

Police released a forensic composite of Baby Grace in an attempt to discover her identity. Sheryl Sawyers saw the likeness to her missing granddaughter and notified police in Texas. Mrs. Sawyers and her son underwent DNA testing, hence Baby Grace became Riley Ann Sawyers.

According to statements allegedly made to police by Kim Trenor, she admitted to beating and torturing little Riley to death, although it appears she is making Rocye Zeigler (the child’s stepfather) out to be the worse of the two evils.

Trenor and Zeigler have (allegedly) stated that they beat this baby with belts, dragged her around by her hair, held her head under water, and threw her across the room …. on a regular basis. Trenor (allegedly again) remarked that Riley had “died of her own volition”. That indicates to me that good ol’ mom figured if baby Riley couldn’t man up and take the torture then her death was her (Riley’s) own fault. Royce Zeigler (allegedly) insisted that little Riley Ann Sawyers should always answer him with “Yes sir,” or “no sir.” He also felt that she should always say “please” when she asked for something.

All well and good, but she was only two!

Zeigler got so fed up with the lack of Riley Ann’s progress that he decided to stay home from work on the 24th of July, 2007 and work on her behavior all day long.

According to statements from Kimberly Trenor, Royce Zeigler started the day of discipline off with a savage beating of the little 2-year-old girl with thick leather belts - leather belts which raised all kinds of horrible welts and bruises on the toddler. Because the girl was so upset and crying, she forgot what little training she could manage to remember on a regular basis, which allegedly upset Royce Zeigler all the more.

Riley was *spanked* by both parents for a while. Her hair was pulled. She was smothered, held face-first into the pillows of a couch.

She was in a considerable amount of pain, which Zeigler and Trenor dealt with by giving the girl children’s over-the-counter pain medication.

The discipline (torture) lasted between four and six hours.

At the end of that time, a bathtub was filled with water and Royce and Kimberly held Riley Ann’s head underwater for a while, dragging the girl out when it seemed she would pass out, then pushing her head back under after the girl took a few gasps of air.

Zeigler pulled the 2-year-old out of the water, lifted her by the hair and hurled the child across the room.

After hitting the wall, Riley Ann slid down and hit the hard tile floor headfirst.

Her skull was fractured in three places on the back of her head, resulting in her death.

And now the trial begins ….. I pray this baby gets justice, and I hope the jury shows the same amount of mercy to Ms. Trenor as she did to her helpless little girl.