The Worst Case of Child Torture & Murder That Left the Country Stunned! Tragic Case Natalynn Miller

the call came in at 5:41 p.m. a frantic voice desperate struggling for composure she was eating pizza and then she stopped breathing emergency dispatchers tried to get more information but there was little urgency in the caller's tone no screaming no wailing no hysteria just a flat detached explanation minutes later paramedics arrived at an apartment complex in velia California a man was standing outside cradling a limp lifeless child in his arms detective Jared Hughes pulled up behind the ambulance his gut already twisted ing something about the scene felt off the man holding the child Ryan Jones

wasn't sobbing he wasn't panicking he was standing there Frozen as if unsure of what he was supposed to do the child was three-year-old nataline Miller she wasn't breathing her skin was cold her tiny body covered in bruises some fresh some old the par paramedics placed her on the grass frantically attempting resuscitation Hughes moved closer scanning the faces around him a woman Nicole Lee the child's mother stood a few feet away arms wrapped around herself silent Ryan Jones was shifting his weight avoiding eye contact what happened Hughes asked she was eating pizza Ryan muttered and then

she started choking the detective studied the girl's body the bruises the unnatural Stillness the absence of any struggle any sign that she had choked one of the paramedics looked up shaking his head it was already too late natal and Miller was gone but as Hughes looked back at Ryan Jones and Nicole Lee something inside him Harden this wasn't an accident the case that would unfold in the following weeks would reveal a pattern of horror A system that had failed to protect a child crying out for help a mother who chose silence a man whose presence

turned a little girl's life into a waking nightmare and now the question remained who would pay the price for what had happened because nataline never had a chance to escape who failed her the justice system her own mother or everyone who turned a blind eye it's incredible to see so many people coming together to raise awareness about these important cases let us know in the comments where you're watching from we love seeing how far our voices reach and if you'd like to support the channel and help spread awareness about cases like nataline Miller consider subscribing

your support helps keep these stories alive and ensures that no victim is ever forgotten now let's get back to the story before she became the face of one of the most harrowing child abuse cases in modern history she was just a little girl full of Life full of dreams and full of laughter a child who had no idea that the world around her was closing in that the walls of her innocence were slowly caving under the weight of a secret no one wanted to face nataline Miller was 3 years old she had blue eyes that

sparkled like the morning sky and a smile that could light up even the darkest room she loved animals adored stuffed toys and had an unsh shable fondness for pizza to the outside world she was just like any other child curious playful full of energy but behind closed doors beyond the smiles captured in fleeting photographs a different story was unfolding family members remember her as a child who could bring joy to anyone she met her laughter was infectious her tiny arms always reached for hugs she loved to sing one family member recalls she would make up

little songs and dance around the house she just had this glow she loved her dad another remembers every time she saw him her face would light up he was her hero she was too young to understand the complexities of the world too small to fight back against what was happening to her too innocent to see the danger she was in for most of her short life nataline father Troy Miller was her protector her safe place when he was with her she was safe but when she wasn't the world was different the home she lived in

with her mother wasn't always kind and when a new man stepped into her mother's life everything changed in the beginning there were only Whispers of trouble small things that didn't seem to fit a bruise here a scratch there excuses that felt too simp too convenient she's just clumsy she fell while playing she's always running around but as the months passed the bruises didn't stop the explanations didn't add up and the people who loved nelin her father her family even some friends began to feel the growing weight of something they couldn't yet name her world was

shrinking becoming smaller darker the walls of her innocence were no longer just caving in they were collapsing and yet through it all she kept smiling she kept laughing because at 3 years old she still believed that love meant safety she still believed that the people closest to her would protect her she didn't know that soon love manipulation and violence would all blur together into something she would never Escape she didn't know that every moment of Joy she experienced was running out like sand in an hourglass she didn't know that her life so bright so innocent

was about to be swallowed by the Shadows of the people who were supposed to keep her safe she had no idea what was coming but the people around her they did and none of them stopped it Nicole Lee and Troy Miller were young when they met the their lives filled with the kind of hope that comes with New Beginnings their love was passionate the kind that starts fast and burns bright they built a life together and in the summer of 2005 they welcomed their daughter natal and Lee Miller she was the center of their world

a child surrounded by love her half brother Curtis adored he was older protective and in his eyes she was more than just a little sister she was his best friend wherever she went he followed watching over her making her laugh playing the role of both sibling and guardian for a while their home was filled with warmth with the sounds of a family growing together but love doesn't always last and sometimes the very thing that once held people together becomes the thing that pulls them apart Troy and Nicole's relationship started to unravel the stress of daily

life Life Financial struggles personal conflicts whatever the reasons the love that once connected them began to fray they separated before nataline was even 2 years old and though the relationship between the two parents was broken one thing remained unchanged Troy Miller's Devotion to his daughter he wasn't just a weekend father he made sure he was present in her life that she knew she was loved he spent as much time with her as possible ible picking her up making sure she had what she needed when she was with him she was happy she was safe but

Troy couldn't see what was happening when she wasn't with him he didn't know that the life Nicole was Building without him would soon become the very thing that put their daughter in danger it started in the fall of 2008 Nicole met someone new his name was Ryan Jones at first glance he seemed like the kind of man who could offer for stability he was attentive charming someone who knew how to say the right things how to make himself seem safe reliable but people like Ryan are never what they seem the changes were small at first

he moved into Nicole's life quickly almost too quickly he wanted to be involved in everything to have a say in how things were done his presence was commanding his opinions firm what started as attentiveness soon became control he would get irritated over small things his temper flared in ways that didn't seem like much at first a sharp tone a lingering glare a moment of cold silence that stretched longer than it should possessiveness crept in slowly he wanted Nicole's attention focused on him he made comments about how she was Raising her daughter how she needed to

be firmer more disciplined to those on the outside there was nothing overtly alarming no Grand displays of aggression no clear warning signs that screamed danger but people who looked closely who really paid attention could see it there was something about him something beneath the surface but by the time the first real warning signs appeared it was already too late no one knew it yet but this was the moment nataline fate was sealed October 2008 the first signs were there small easy to dismiss a fading bruise on nataline arm a scrape on her knee normal for

an active child easy to explain away but then came the moments that didn't sit right moments that couldn't be ignored Troy Miller picked up his daughter as he always did for their time together at first glance she looked the same bright-eyed smiling happy to see him but as he buckled her into the car seat something shifted he reach reach to brush her hair from her face and she flinched a quick involuntary reaction barely noticeable but for a father who knew his child it was like a siren going off in his head he didn't press her

about it right away he waited watched and as they spent the day together he began to notice other things she was quieter more reserved and when he changed her clothes he saw them small bruises on her legs another faint mark on her ribs his heart tightened what happened sweetheart she Shrugged mumbled something about playing he didn't believe it when he returned her to Nicole he asked not accusing just concerned oh she's just clumsy Nicole said brushing it off she's always running into things Troy didn't argue not yet but something in his gut told him that

this wasn't just clumsiness that night as he lay in bed he replayed the moment in his head how she pulled away when he reached for her how her little shoulders tensed at the sound of her mother's voice it wasn't just about the bruises it was something deeper and Troy wasn't the only one noticing Neighbors in the apartment complex had started hearing things yelling not the usual bickering of a couple not the typical chaos of a house with a toddler this was different a man's voice sharp and forceful and then crying not Tantrums not the whimpering

of a child who didn't get her way deep painful sobs the kind that didn't stop right away the kind that sounded like fear Jessica Rosales had known Nicole for years they had been friends before Ryan came into the picture before everything changed she had noticed too I saw bruises on her Jessica would later say I asked her what happened she just looked scared and yet nothing was done Troy's concerns grew with each visit at one point he confronted Nicole trying to keep his voice calm steady I don't know what's going on but if Ryan can't

control himself then he doesn't need to be around her Nicole bristled you're overreacting she's afraid of him no she's not not she won't even look at him Nicole's expression hardened this is my life she snapped stay out of it Troy walked away that night frustration tightening his chest he wanted to believe that maybe just maybe he was wrong that maybe Nicole was right that children do get bumps and bruises but deep down he knew better and still nothing changed nataline was caught in a place where she couldn't protect herself a home where her voice didn't

matter a life where the people who should have stepped in didn't and every day the window to save her was closing the people who loved her saw the signs but no one acted fast enough by November 2008 the signs were no longer just Whispers in the background they were loud disturbing impossible to ignore Troy Miller sat across from his daughter watching her small hands move through the air at first he thought she was playing acting out something she had seen on television but then he noticed the way her tiny fists clenched the way her motions

were precise too precise she was demonstrating something a fight she raised her hands in the air mimicking the swing of a fist she showed him how someone had grabbed her pushed her hit her Troy's blood ran cold his voice was gentle when he asked who did this to you she hesitated looked away and then in the quietest voice she said a name Ryan Troy felt something deep inside him crack his little girl just 3 years old was showing him what had been done to her telling him in the only way she knew how and the

bruises on her chest confirmed it dark marks faded around the edges but still there unmistakable Troy confronted Nicole again she showed me she told me what is going on in that house Nicole's response was the same as before dismissive defensive you're imagining things she plays rough you're being dramatic but nothing could explain what Troy saw next he noticed the redness on her ears first a strange discoloration almost like a rash but as he looked closer realization struck him like a punch to the gut it wasn't a rash it was a burn the skin around her

ears was peeling the edges raw he asked her what happened again she hesitated then finally she answered Riri did it Ryan the anger the horror the disbelief it all crashed over Troy in an instant he demanded an explanation from Nicole but she wouldn't meet his eyes wouldn't acknowledge what he was telling her it was just an accident she said she probably got too close to the hair dryer but Troy knew better it wasn't an accident and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that his daughter was in danger by February 2009 something changed Nicole

and Ryan had broken up for the first time in months nataline seemed lighter happier she laughed more she played without hesitation Troy began to feel hope again maybe things were getting better maybe Nicole had finally realized what was happening but what he didn't know what no one told him was that Ryan had already moved back in and just a few weeks later the nightmare would reach its breaking point on March 19th 2009 it was supposed to be like any other day a simple exchange a routine handoff between parents but something felt different Troy Miller picked

up his daughter that morning expecting the same playful energy the same Giggles the same boundless enthusiasm she always had when she spent time with with him but today she was quiet not in the way that children sometimes get when they're sleepy or distracted but in a way that made his stomach twist she was watching everything hyperaware she clung to him tighter than usual her small hands gripping his shirt whenever he carried her she flinched when loud noises startled her and every so often when she thought no one was looking her eyes darted toward the clock

Troy didn't push he told himself she was just having an off day that maybe she was just tired but deep down he knew better the hours passed and she seemed to relax a little he made her favorite meal let her pick out her favorite movie he held her hand as they walked outside for a while she was just a little girl again without a single weight on her tiny shoulders but when the sun began to set and the time for her to leave grew closer something shifted her laughter stopped She kept looking at him like

she wanted to ask him something but couldn't find the words like she was trying to build up the courage to say something she was afraid of and then he heard the familiar sound of a car pulling into the driveway before he could react she was running not playing not giggling not running in the way that children do when they're trying to have fun this was something else she bolted across the room her tiny feet scrambling for a place to hide she ducked behind Furniture pressed herself against the walls trying to make herself as small as

possible her voice was shaking when she spoke please Daddy don't make me go Troy froze she had never done this before never clung to him like this never begged him to keep her he crouched down beside her holding out his arms she ran straight into them what's wrong sweetheart he asked she didn't answer she just shook her head the knock on the door came next Nicole was here Troy held his daughter close he could feel her heartbeat pounding against his chest he wanted to ask he wanted to press but what could he do the law

was the law he had no no legal right to keep her if he refused Nicole could call the police he could be accused of kidnapping his own child he pulled back cued her face in his hands and forced himself to smile I love you he whispered she didn't smile back she didn't look at him when he carried her to the door she didn't let go of him until he physically placed her inside the car and as they drove away she didn't wave she just cried and Troy had no idea it would be the last time

he ever saw her alive on March 22nd 2009 the 911 call came in at 5:41 p.m. the dispatcher answered expecting the usual an accident a minor emergency something manageable instead they were met with a voice that was eerily detached she was eating pizza sir the woman said and then she stopped breathing the dispatcher's training kicked in immediately they began asking question was the child choking did she have a pulse was anyone performing CPR the woman's answers were vague short empty we tried we don't know she's not moving the address was logged emergency responders were dispatched

6 minutes later the First Responders arrived at the apartment complex they expected to find a frantic parent someone desperately trying to save their child instead they found something that made their blood run cold a man was standing in the middle of the street holding a child motionless lifeless it was Ryan Jones he wasn't sobbing he wasn't panicking he wasn't even moving he just stood there holding three-year-old nataline Miller in his arms like he didn't know what to do next the paramedics rushed forward they placed her on the grass they checked for a pulse nothing her

skin was cold to the touch her body was wet her arms and legs covered in dark bruises some old some fresh they tilted her head back cleared her Airway began compressions but deep down they knew it was already too late detective Jared Hughes arrived moments later the moment he stepped out of his car he knew something was wrong Nicole Lee stood off to the side arms wrapped around herself she wasn't rushing forward she wasn't pleading with the paramedics she was just there watching waiting Hughes approached Ryan first what happened Ryan didn't meet his eyes he

didn't sound shaken he didn't sound devastated she was eating PE Pizza he said and then she started choking Hughes looked down at the child's body the bruises the unnatural Stillness he had seen children who had choked before there was always evidence of struggle redness around the lips signs of distress a frantic attempt to gasp for air but this this was different the paramedics continued trying to revive her 2 minutes later they stopped nataline Miller was gone one of the responders turned to Hughes shaking his head this wasn't an accident the detective already knew he could

see it the bruises the absence of panic The Silence of the people who were supposed to care this wasn't a case of a child who had choked on Pizza this was something else something much much worse and when the autopsy was complete the truth would confirm what he already knew this wasn't an accident this wasn't neglect this was murder and the answers lay in the cold steril environment of the autopsy room the moment the forensic team began their examination the truth became undeniable nataline Miller had not choked her cause of death was not an accident

not a tragic case of Misfortune it was something far worse severe blunt force trauma to the head and abdomen the forensic Pathologists Dr Burr Hartman identified more than 32 bruises during the autopsy indicating both fresh and older injuries suggesting prolonged abuse he noted the extent of the damage multiple injuries not from a single fall not from an isolated incident but from repeated brutal force her small body bore the evidence of something Unthinkable fresh and old bruises some just beginning to heal some still deep and dark some on her back some on her stomach some on

places no child should ever have bruises the forensic team took careful note of everything each injury told a story a pattern of harm stretching over weeks maybe months the skull fracture the internal damage to her organs the way her ribs showed signs of force far beyond what a three-year-old could endure it was not just one strike not just one moment of carelessness it was repeated deliberate and the medical examiner's conclusion was clear this was not an accident detective Jared Hughes had seen enough in his career to know when someone was lying he had walked into

crime scenes where the truth was covered in blood where the guilty wept COC Ile tears where grief and deception Twisted together into something hard to untangle but this case this case was different it wasn't just about what happened that night it was about everything that led up to it the first step was getting answers Ryan Jones was brought in for questioning he sat in the interrogation room his arms crossed his expression blank he wasn't crying he wasn't panicked he barely looked looked concerned Hughes sat across from him studying his face tell me what happened Ryan

leaned back his voice was casual too casual I wasn't there when it happened Hughes raised an eyebrow you weren't there Ryan Shrugged she was playing she must have fallen the detective leaned forward Ryan that little girl had severe trauma to her head an abdomen her ribs were bruised she had injuries in multiple stages of healing that's not from falling Ryan didn't respond Hughes pressed you were holding her when we arrived you called 911 and now you're saying you weren't there Ryan looked away Nicole was there too a deflection a weak one Hughes made a note

of it then there was Nicole if Ryan was cold she was distant her voice was flat detached she was just playing she said and then she fell Hughes waited giving her a chance to say more she didn't he studied her there was no emotion no grief you were in the apartment when it happened she nodded did you see her fall a pause not really uh not really a child had just lost her life and this was her response the interrogations weren't going anywhere but evidence doesn't lie the detectives dug deeper they pulled phone records they

gathered witness statements and then they found something chilling CCTV footage at McDonald's a normal day customers in line people coming and going and then Ryan the footage showed him towering over natalin his movements sharp aggressive she flinched stepped back Nicole sat beside them silent Ryan grabbed nataline arm yelled something at her her tiny frame stiffened and still Nicole did nothing the footage was damning a man whose patience was thin a child who was terrified and a mother who did nothing to stop it then came the recordings Nicole's phone calls from jail they played them back

listening to her words listening to the way she spoke I love you Ryan the words hit like a punch not why did you do this not how could you not my baby is gone just I love you she wasn't mourning her daughter she was protecting the man who took her the question now wasn't whether a crime had been committed it was whether a jury would believe them or if for once Justice would finally be served by December 2013 the trial had begun the courtroom was filled with tension reporters lined the back rows their pens poised

their cameras ready family members sat in silent Agony waiting for the wheels of Justice to turn but for one person in the room the weight of the this moment was unbearable Troy Miller he had been waiting for this day hoping praying that Justice would finally be served for his little girl but as he sat there listening to the legal arguments the forensic reports the emotionless recounting of his daughter's final moments a terrible truth settled into his bones nothing could ever bring her back the prosecution laid out the evidence in chilling detail the bruises the internal

injuries the testimony from medical experts who confirmed what everyone already knew this was not an accident Ryan Jones sat at the defendant's table his face impassive he showed no emotion as the photos of nataline injuries were shown no reaction as the medical examiner explained the sheer force it would have taken to cause them the jury listened some looked down unable to meet the prosecutor's gaze as he spoke then came the recordings the jailhouse phone calls Nicole's voice echoed through the courtroom I love you Ryan it was the moment that solidified what many had already suspected

Nicole Lee was not just a mother who had failed to protect her child she had chosen aside and it wasn't her daughter's she defended Ryan even after nataline was gone she mourned for him more than she mourned for her child when the defense presented their case their argument was clear Ryan had not intended to hurt nataline Nicole had no knowledge of the abuse but the evidence was stacked too high the jury deliberated then the verdict guilty Ryan Jones convicted of second deegree murder and child abuse resulting in death sentence 25 years to life in prison

and Nicole Lee was convicted of felony child endangerment and sentenced to 8 years in prison the courtroom was silent as the sentences were read no outbursts no gasps just the quiet hum of Justice being served and in the front row Troy Miller sat with his head bowed not in relief not in Victory but in grief because no number of years behind bars could ever undo what had been done in the months following the trial one question remained how how had this happened how had a child so young so full of life been failed so completely

by the very system meant to protect her the warning signs had been there the bruises the flinching the whispered confessions to those who were too afraid or too un certain to act Troy Miller struggled to move forward every day was a reminder of what he had lost every moment of silence was a reminder of the voice he would never hear again but grief is a powerful thing it can destroy or it can fuel a purpose and for Troy there was only one choice he became an advocate he spoke out about the importance of recognizing the

warning signs about how crucial it is to report suspected harm even when you're not sure because sometimes you don't get a second chance the case of natal and Miller was more than a tragedy it was a warning a wake-up call because for every case that makes the headlines there are countless others that don't for every child who is saved there are others who slip through the cracks and the question remains how many more natalin are out there right now waiting for someone to save them them to those watching listening reading this isn't just a story

it's a reality if you see something say something if you suspect harm don't hesitate you might be the only chance a child has because no one spoke up for nataline in time but maybe just maybe her story can save someone else