Person of interest in teen's death off to prison

OGDEN -- Alexis Rasmussen died the same weekend she was last seen, Weber County Attorney Dee Smith said Tuesday morning.

Smith spoke briefly to the growing contingent of reporters covering the case after Eric Millerberg, a person of interest in the girl's disappearance because his home was her last known whereabouts, was ordered to prison on unrelated drug charges.

Rasmussen was last seen going to a baby-sitting job at the Millerberg home the night of Sept. 9, a Friday.

Smith said she died "on Sept. 11, or shortly thereafter."

She did not come home Sept. 10 and was reported missing to the North Ogden Police Department on Sept. 11.

Smith would not elaborate, except to say Rasmussen died in a house and her body was then transported to Morgan County, where her remains were located Oct. 18.

"There are some things happening behind the scenes that I don't want to jeopardize," he said.

Smith did describe Millerberg and his wife, Dea, as persons of interest.

The state Medical Examiner's Office used dental records and fingerprints to identify the remains as the missing 16-year-old.

In his comments, Smith said charges against suspects he wasn't prepared to name will "definitely" include desecration of a corpse. That charge can include such actions as moving or hiding a body.

As to the death, he said charges could range from murder to negligent homicide.

But Smith said no charges of any kind would be filed until final results of Rasmussen's autopsy come back from the state Medical Examiners' Office, which would be a matter of weeks.

In Tuesday morning's hearing, Eric Millerberg was sentenced by 2nd District Judge Scott Hadley to up to five years in state prison for a probation violation.

Millerberg had been on probation for a 2010 credit card fraud conviction, but violated the terms of his probation by testing positive for oxycodone Sept. 22 and Oct. 2.

In an Oct. 11 hearing before Hadley, he admitted to the violations.

Dea Millerberg is due in court before Judge W. Brent West at 9 a.m. today on charges of prescription fraud unrelated to Rasmussen's death.

The Millerbergs were arrested days apart. On Oct. 9, a few days after they were jailed, a search warrant was executed on their home by the Weber County homicide task force, which had joined North Ogden's investigation.

Neighbors and officials have called the home in the 3200 block of 900 East a party house frequented by teenagers, even though the Millerbergs have two daughters -- an infant and a 6-year-old.

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