UPDATED: HIGHGROVE: “Mentally ill” mother accused of killing 3-year-old daughter

UPDATED: Friday, Jan. 26, 11:30 p.m.

HIGHGROVE — Family members of a woman arrested earlier today for the murder of her 3-year-old daughter are saying the alleged suspect was born with a brain tumor and suffers from mental health issues for which she has sought help, without success.

Susan Marie Rank, 30, was arrested by sheriff’s officials after her daughter, identified by family members as Zayla Rank, was found dead this morning in the backyard of a sober living home in the unincorporated community of Highgrove, northeast of the city of Riverside.

According to Zayla’s family, the toddler was living at the sober living facility with her mother while Rank searched for a more permanent place for the pair to live. Rank had reportedly been sober for over one year and was working towards gaining full custody of her daughter – who family members remembered as “the sweetest little baby.”

Saying, “Mental illness killed this child,” the alleged suspect’s aunt, Traclyn Sharrit told CBS2 News that Rank sought help for mental health-related issues several times in the last month, only to be turned away each time.

Although Sharrit admitted Rank had suffered from mental health problems “her whole life,” including suffering from “bad thoughts” and exhibiting self-harm, she had never been violent towards Zayla.

This morning’s revelation has left mourning family members and countless others wondering what might have happened that led to Zayla’s tragic death. Others, including Sharrit, are wondering what, if anything, could have been done differently in the weeks leading to her murder – allegedly at the hands of her own mother.

According to reports, Rank’s family and even her own mother believe Rank was responsible for her daughter’s death.

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Jurupa Valley Station responded to the sober living home on the 3000 block of Cannes Avenue shortly before 7 a.m., after receiving reports of a “possible child death,” Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Wallace Clear explained after Rank’s arrest.

When deputies arrived, they quickly located a child with “obvious signs of trauma,” said Clear, who explained, “The child was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

Deputies immediately detained five women from inside the home and corralled them outside the location, which is registered in Riverside County as a Set Free sober living facility. One of the women detained at the scene was later determined to be Rank, the young victim’s mother.

Deputies established a crime scene around the home, eventually cordoning off the entire block and requested additional resources to the scene, including investigators from the Jurupa Valley Station and Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit. Investigators responded to the scene and assumed the investigation.

Officials brought a mobile command center to the scene and investigators and other officials were seen entering and exiting the RV throughout the remainder of the morning and afternoon into the early evening.

As the investigation was getting underway, technicians from the Sheriff’s Forensics Services Bureau and officials from the Coroner’s and District Attorney’s office were observed going into the home and backyard where Zayla’s lifeless body had been discovered.

Based on their investigation, officials arrested Rank and she was eventually booked into Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of murder, according to Clear. An online jail record search revealed she was also booked for violation of probation.

Rank’s mother, Lori Wood, later told CBS2 her daughter had tried to seek mental-health treatment several times recently, and even had another appointment scheduled for next Monday.

“It took everything I had as her mother to get her to go into those doors to ask for help in the first place,” Wood explained.

“Even though she tried to get help, she never got the help she needed,” Wood continued. “I think it’s a tragedy how people can go try to get mental health (treatment) and get shoved out the door without any help or consideration. It needs to be addressed. It really does.”

In the wake of Zayla’s death, Sharrit has established a GoFundMe account to help offset burial and other expenses for the young victim.

Explaining on the fundraising page that Zayla was killed “at the hands of her mentally ill” mother, Sharrit explained, “My sister is in deep mourning over the loss of her grandbaby, and the fact that it was at the hands of her mentally ill daughter weighs heavy on her heart. Please pray for us to find peace in this tragic happening. Mental illness took the life our beautiful baby at the hand of a very mentally sick mother. If you can’t give funds, your prayers mean so much to our family.”

Rank remains in custody, held on $1 million bail and she is scheduled to be arraigned at Riverside Hall of Justice, Jan. 31.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Investigator Ted Gonzalez with the Central Homicide Unit at (951) 955-2777 or Jurupa Valley Investigator Mike Barros at (951) 955-2600. Callers can refer to incident file number E180260005 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s Homicide Tipline online form.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.