By Ryan Duey

Officers with the Riley County Police Department (RCPD) have arrested Matthew Paul Wesley Miller and Sonya Simone Monae Lark Williams in connection with the death of their one-year-old daughter, Ziya Miller.

In April of 2023, officers with the Junction City Police Department responded to a call for a report of a child not breathing. Upon arrival, they discovered the child had passed away in Manhattan but had been transported to Junction City by Miller. As a result of the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death, both parents of the deceased child have been charged with first-degree murder, among other charges.

Miller has been charged with murder in the first degree, aggravated endangering a child, and distribution of opiates while Williams is charged with murder in the first degree and aggravated endangering a child. Miller is being held on a total bond of $1,250,000 and is currently confined at Riley County Jail (RCJ). The total bond set for Williams is $1,100,00 and she too is currently confined at RCJ.

Due to the sensitive nature of the investigation and to ensure the integrity of the ongoing legal proceedings, no further details will be disclosed by RCPD at this time. All further information regarding this matter will be disseminated, if at all, by the County Attorney’s office.