This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
North Ogden • Friends and family of 16-year-old Alexis Rasmussen remembered the spunky, lively girl Saturday morning as the one who always looked out for others, a glowing teen whose smile "could light up a whole city."
Mourners gathered at the North Ogden LDS Stake Center for the teen's memorial service to talk about a short but spirited life that was cut short after she was discovered dead Oct. 17, buried near Interstate 84 in Morgan County.
"She was vivacious. She was free-spirited. She was smart," said her aunt Brittany Rudd, who spoke at the service for "Lexi," which brought a few hundred attendees. "She was a really sensitive and caring person."
Alexis was first reported missing when she didn't return home from baby-sitting for Eric and Dea Millerberg at their North Ogden home Sept. 10. A tip from a confidential source later led police to her body.
The Millerbergs have been named "persons of interest" in Alexis' death, and Dea Millerberg's defense attorney said charges from manslaughter to capital murder could be leveled against the North Ogden couple in about a month while authorities await the results of an autopsy.
Dea Millerberg, 38, is currently in the Weber County Jail on unrelated prescription fraud charges while Eric Millerberg, 36, was sent to prison this week for violating his probation on a 2010 credit card fraud case.
Alexis' death has left the North Ogden community reeling and her family and friends dealing with the shock of her sudden death.
"It's like a crazy shock," one of her friends, 17-year-old Jaden Rhodes, said about the impact her death has had on her friends and family.
Sidney Shaw, one of her best friends and a speaker at the memorial service, simply read a letter she received from Alexis. She was so choked up after the service, she couldn't conjure the words to express to a reporter the love she had for her friend.
"She [Alexis] was sunshine," said Sidney's mother, Joanne Fee. "She was always happy, it didn't matter who she was with."
"She's one of the best friends I've ever had," said one of Alexis' friends, Cheyanne Lake, 16, who attended Weber High School with her. "She was always in a good mood and was the happiest person."
"Her smile could light up a whole city," said Madison Olsen, 13, of North Ogden, who is friends with Alexis' younger brother, Seth. "She always said to me that I was like her little sister."
Norman Knudson, who owns property in Ogden Canyon that Alexis, his son and their friends would frequently camp at, remembered how Alexis once backed up a friend who was getting teased.
"Lexi was the one who stood up for him. She always stood up for everyone," Knudson said. "She was a caregiver, a protector."
That's also how Rudd saw her niece, someone who cared deeply for the people around her and especially her own family.
"How many would color Care Bears and Disney characters with their sister for hours?" she asked. "I wish I could put into words how much she loved her family."
Alexis is survived by her mother and father — Dawn Miera and Kirk Rasmussen — and two brothers and a sister. She was to be buried Saturday afternoon at Valley View Memorial Park in West Valley City.
How to help
P A fundraiser for Alexis' family will be held Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Marriott Hotel, Grand Ballroom, 247 24th St., Ogden. Dinner is $10 and will include a silent auction and baked goods sale.