TELLURIDE, Colo. (AP) — Colorado officials say they still are trying to determine what caused the death of two girls on a rural farm.
Pathologist Michael Benziger said during a court hearing Monday that 10-year-old Makayla Roberts and 8-year-old Hannah Marshall had been dead "for several weeks to months" when their bodies were found in early September.
The Telluride Daily Planet reports that a medical examiner in New Mexico will perform more tests.
According to court documents, one member of the small group living on the Norwood farm told police that a woman named Madani Ceus was acting as a "spiritual leader" ordered the children kept in a car without food or water for days.
Ceus and the girl's mother have been charged with murder. Three other adults face fatal child abuse charges.