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Ogden • Through her attorney, Dea Millerberg — a North Ogden woman previously named a person of interest in the death of 16-year-old Alexis Rasmussen — has denied causing the girl's death.
"She denies causing the death of Alexis Rasmussen. That's all I can say," defense attorney Michael Bouwhuis told news reporters Wednesday.
Millerberg had appeared in 2nd District Court Wednesday on a new charge of child endangerment, a third-degree felony.
Bouwhuis said the charge involves one of Millerberg's children allegedly testing positive for exposure to drugs. The testing occurred as part of an investigation by the Division of Child and Family Services, he said.
Millerberg was previously charged with prescription fraud for alleged doctor shopping.
She will return to court Nov. 30 for a scheduling hearing on both cases. Meanwhile, she is being held at the Weber County jail in lieu of $15,000 bail.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, say they are awaiting autopsy results on Rasmussen before filing potential homicide charges against Millerberg, 38, and her husband, Eric Millerberg, 36, who both have been called "persons of interest" in the teen's death.
Rasmussen was baby-sitting for the Millerbergs the night of Sept. 10, when she disappeared, North Ogden police have said.
After the girl's disappearance, the Millerbergs were each arrested on unrelated charges. Eric Millerberg was arrested Oct. 3 for violating his probation, and has been returned to prison. Dea Millerberg was charged Oct. 7 with prescription fraud.
On Oct. 18, the girl's body was found near the Weber River, within two miles of Interstate 84, according to Weber County Attorney Dee Smith. Police have said they were directed to the location by a confidential source.
Smith has said that the girl died in a house on Sept. 11 or shortly thereafter — not from natural causes — and that her body was then transported to where it was buried near I-84 in Morgan County.