News

Actions

Bodies of 2 young girls found on Norwood farm ID'd as one of suspects' daughters

Posted at 3:58 PM, Oct 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-20 23:20:07-04

NORWOOD, Colo. – The two young girls whose bodies were found on a farm outside Norwood were the daughters of Nashika Leonie Bramble, 36, one of five suspects in the case.

Makayla Victoria Roberts, 10, and Hannah Elizabeth Rosalina Marshall, 8, were killed at least two weeks before deputies came upon the gruesome discovery on the Norwood farm Sep. 8.  The cause of their deaths is still under investigation.

The San Miguel County Coroner’s Office, with the assistance of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, released their identities Friday after extensive DNA testing.

The two girls were born in Florida and had separate fathers, who investigators say are not involved in the case. However, Bramble and four others who investigators say were living on the farm at the time of the discovery have been charged in connection with the girls' deaths. 

The mother of the victims and another woman, Madani Ceus, 37, have both been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. Three other suspects -- Ashford Nathaniel Archer, 50, of Haiti; Ida Eden, 53, of Jamaica; Frederick Alexander Blair, 23, of Norwood – have been charged with several counts of child abuse resulting in death. All five suspects are awaiting trial in the San Miguel County Jail.

Deputies were on the San Miguel County property searching for evidence following a tip regarding the deathswhen the bodies of the two girls were found last month. Details of the investigation have been sealed.

The 17-acre farm is located in a rural area just outside Norwood, a town of about 500 that lies near the Montrose County line. It's not clear what type of farming activity was occurring on the property. Signs reading "BEWARE OF THE DOG" and "PRIVATE PROPERTY" mark the entrance to the farm.

The deaths of the two girls mark the county's first homicide in more than 20 years. 

"Our last homicide in this county was 1995, so we don't even deal with homicides on a regular basis," said Susan Lilly, San Miguel County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson. "So, when we have a situation like this, where we have a double homicide of young children, it's devastating."