Grand jury indicts parents for murder in death of 4-year-old

By Mary Manning

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 | 1:34 p.m.

A Clark County grand jury today has indicted Colleen and Stanley Rimer for murder in the death of their 4-year-old son, Jason.

Family members found the little boy dead June 9 in the back seat of the family's SUV after he spent 17 hours in the vehicle. The coroner determined on July 18 that Jason had died from heat exposure.

The Rimers are facing murder, child abuse and neglect charges, according to the indictment.

Four other Rimer children were taken into protective custody after Jason's death. District Attorney David Roger filed second-degree murder charges against the parents on June 25.

The Rimers were also charged with multiple counts of child abuse, neglect and endangerment.

Police went to the home on June 9 about 8:30 a.m., after receiving a 311 (non-emergency) phone call saying that the family members had found Jason cold and not moving in the vehicle.

Colleen Rimer told police dispatchers that Jason had been in the SUV since 3 p.m. Sunday, June 8, when the family had returned from church.

A check with Child Protective Services revealed that the Rimer family had come to the attention of the agency 23 times between 1998 and May 2007, for allegations ranging from physical abuse, medical neglect, sexual abuse and filthy home conditions.

The family told police that Jason suffered from a medical condition known as myotonic dystrophy, a form of muscular dystrophy characterized by wasting of muscles.