ORGON
The Oregonian
BY EVERTON BAILEY JR. ebailey@oregonian.com
The Oregonian/OregonLive
The parents of a twin girl who died hours after her March home birth with dozens of people from the faith-healing Followers of Christ Church gathered at the house now face murder charges.
Sarah Elaine Mitchell, 24, and Travis Lee Mitchell, 21, turned themselves in and were booked Monday into the Clackamas County Jail on accusations of murder by neglect and first-degree criminal mistreatment in the March 5 death of Ginnifer Mitchell. A Clackamas County grand jury heard testimony for about a week before returning a secret indictment Friday.
Other church members, including Sarah Mitchell’s sister, have faced criminal charges in the deaths of their children with medical conditions, but none faced a murder charge before now.
Sarah and Travis Mitchell are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. They declined requests for interviews from the jail. Several members of the Oregon City-based church also declined comment as did prosecutors.
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