Crimeatorium - The Murder of Sixteen Year Old Alexis Rasmussen

Episode Date: July 30, 2026

Like a lot of people her age, sixteen year old Alexis Rasmussen turned to babysitting to earn money for clothes and hanging out with friends. In September of 2011, she was hired to watch a married couple’s two children while they went out on a date. Plans changed and Alexis didn’t babysit that night. This is Alexis Rasmussen’s story.Music:CO.AG Music https://www.youtube.com/@co.agmusic1823If you have a case suggestion for Crimeatorium, please send it to [e-mail].

Like a lot of people her age, 16-year-old Alexis Rasmussen turned to babysitting to earn money for clothes and hanging out with friends. In September of 2011, she was hired to watch a married couple's two children while they went out on a date. Plans changed, and Alexis didn't babysit that night. This is Alexis Rasmussen's story. Alexis was going to make a difference in the world, her mother Dawn said. Alexis loved to dance, read, shop, and spend time with her family and friends. She loved her family and was especially close to her brother, who was her best friend.

While looking at the various pictures of Alexis, it's obvious by that infectious smile that she was an outgoing girl and probably a lot of fun to be around. Dia Millerberg, 38, and Eric Millerberg, 36, were a married couple that both had various criminal convictions against them. In 2011, they were each on probation for their crimes. The Millerbergs lived in North Ogden, Utah, about 50 miles north of the capital, Salt Lake City. The air was crisp with the season of autumn on September 10, 2011, when the couple hired Alexis to babysit their two children. Alexis texted her mother at 11.30 to let her know that the Milliburgs were still out. Her mother told her to spend the night since it was so late. That was the last communication she ever had with Alexis.

Alexis began babysitting for the Millerbergs in spring of 2011. The three became friends and would drink and smoke marijuana together. Alexis was curious about harder drugs, and when she expressed this to the couple, they introduced her to meth and heroin. This evolved into Alexis being paid with meth for watching the Millerberg children. Alexis was expected home the next day, September 11th, and when she didn't arrive, her mother Dawn called the police to report her missing While this investigation was ongoing, Eric had been sentenced for a parole violation for zero to five years and was sent to prison When police questioned Alexis' friends, they were uncooperative cooperative. It is speculated that this was due to their own questionable behavior or perhaps they

didn't want to get Alexis in trouble. As it turns out, these friends were aware of the payment arrangements Alexis had with the Millerbergs. It was common knowledge amongst the neighbors and friends of Alexis that the couple had also hired other teens for babysitting with similar arrangements. Police were receiving tips about sightings of Alexis, so they were treating the case as a missing person. The Millerbergs were questioned and they told the police that Alexis left their house at 1130 to meet a friend after they went to bed. Officers noted that during the interview with Dia, she appeared to be on a

a stimulant due to her uncontrollable movements. The friend who Alexis supposedly met was questioned, and he never saw Alexis that night. They did text throughout the night, however. A month into the investigation, a confidential informant came forward and informed the police of the whereabouts of Alexis. On this particular night, sometime after Alexis arrived at the Millerberg home, Eric injected her once with heroin and twice with meth. Alexis would later be described as being ecstatic because this was the highest she had ever been. Eric told friends that he and Alexis performed oral sex on one another.

Dia would also testify in court later on that the three attempted to engage in sexual activity but they were all too high As the night wore on it was evident that Alexis was having a bad reaction to the drugs She was cold and disoriented so the couple placed her in the tub They claimed that she wanted to be left alone

so they went outside to smoke a cigarette When they came back in to check on her, she was still cold so Dia wrapped her in a blanket and put her in their bed Again, they left her alone to go smoke a cigarette Eric told Dia that they needed to let her chill out The next time the couple checked on her, she was unresponsive and had what was described as mucousy stuff coming out of her mouth dia was a nurse and she attempted to resuscitate alexis

but it was far too late for that alexis was dead fear gripped the couple as they were both on parole for various crimes and eric is said to have belonged to a white supremacist group they didn't want to go back to prison and didn't want to risk losing their children Eric called two friends to bring a car to his house to help him get rid of something He also told them not to ask any questions Neither of the friends wanted to get involved I speculate that Eric wanted help so that Dia could stay home with the couple's children

Dia dressed Alexis and the couple put her body in the trunk of their car The couple brought the infant with them and left the six-year-old toddler at home alone while they drove to another county in a remote area and dumped her body in the woods. Eric Peanut Smith was the confidential informant that knew exactly where Alexis was. He knew this because he helped Eric move her decomposing body to a more remote location sometime after she had been dumped. On October 18th, 38 days after she went missing, the police found the body of Alexis. She was found with her legs folded against her in a fetal position, her lower half stuffed into a garbage bag.

Smith was not charged for his part in the crime in exchange for his information. Search warrants were served and affidavits revealed to the police the phone calls Eric made to friends that night asking for help in getting rid of something Surveillance cameras showed that on the night Alexis was babysitting Dia and her went to a pharmacy at 1020

to pick up a prescription Together, they sold some prescription drugs to some of Alexis' friends that night as well Human blood was found in the couple's home where a portion of carpet had been removed Investigators also located a car the Millerbergs sold to someone in another county Carpet from the trunk had been removed

Eric Smith, the informant, also told police that Eric told him Alexis asked him to shoot her up that night and that she wanted a threesome with the couple Once all this information came together the Millerbergs were arrested for the murder of Alexis. By this time, not only was Eric already in jail, Dia was too, for two felony counts of falsely obtaining a prescription. Eric was charged with child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony, obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, an unlawful sexual activity with a minor, and abuse and desecration

of a human body, both third-degree felonies. Dia took a plea deal in exchange for her testimony and only being charged with obstruction of justice and abuse and desecration of a body. The trial for Eric began in March of 2014 and he pleaded not guilty. Dia testified to the court that she picked Alexis up that night to babysit, but instead, they all got high.

Eric injected Alexis with the drugs three times once being in the neck and that the three tried to engage in sexual activity but were unable to due to being so high The prosecutor would later state that her testimony provided them with valuable information that allowed the case to be solved The medical examiner, Dr. Joseph White

testified that Alexis had seven times the lethal amount of meth and high levels of heroin in her system. He stated that these were significant amounts, certainly enough to explain her death. Other possibilities couldn't be ruled out such as strangulation, blunt force trauma, or stabbing due to her body being so decomposed. Because of this, he listed the manner of death as undetermined. The defense didn't call any witnesses and Eric didn't testify

The testimony presented was difficult for Alexis' family and friends who filled the front row of the courtroom They wept as witnesses testified and when the Weber County Prosecutor, Dee Smith showed a picture of Alexis smiling while holding her little sister followed by the photo of her after she was discovered dumped in the woods he closed by saying what eric millerberg did to alexis was deplorable supplying an underage girl with drugs on several occasions and even bragging about it to his cellmates he cited laws that are

put into place meant to protect young impressionable teens prone to experimenting and making mistakes when they aren't with their parents ordinary people don't inject little girls with heroin and methamphetamine, Smith said. You don't have sex with 16-year-olds when you're a month away from turning 36. You don't look for dates with juniors in high school. Defense attorney Randall Marshall stated in closing arguments that the case against Eric Millenberg is based on lies by Dia Millenberg meant to protect herself. Dia Millenberg told a great story, but it doesn't add up, he said. He said there's no evidence other than Dia Millerberg's account to prove Eric Millerberg injected Rasmussen with the drugs. How do we

know Dia didn't shoot her up herself, Marshall said. He reminded jurors that the state medical examiner stopped short of declaring Alexis's cause of death was a drug overdose. Marshall also suggested to the jury that Dia Millerberg was responsible for the death and recruited her husband to help her dump the body. The jury deliberated for two hours before finding Eric Millerberg guilty on all counts. At sentencing, which was held later that month, Millerberg's attorney argued that the man's sentences on each count should run concurrently to one another because all of the crimes occurred during one criminal episode, adding that Alexis's death was an accident.

He also argued that Millerberg's wife should shoulder some of the blame for the girl's death. All the blame now rests on Mr. Millerberg for this death, Marshall said. That by itself hardly seems fair. He's essentially being saddled with all of the burden, all the responsibility for Lexi's death. Deputy Weber County Attorney Christopher Shaw told the judge that the death was no accident because Eric Millerberg intentionally injected the drugs into Alexis. He asked for consecutive prison sentences to be handed down.

This young lady is gone and it's a result of his conduct, Shaw said. Things don't get any worse than this, Judge. Intentionally injecting a young lady with dangerous drugs multiple times is beyond reckless. the prosecutor stated directly to Eric, she was simply an immature victim you took advantage of after you injected her with drugs. Before the sentence was given, Eric apologized, saying he was sorry for what happened to Alexis. I'm willing to shoulder the responsibility for the role I played and the things that I have done, he said, but there's no way the responsibility is all mine.

Marshall later said outside of court that Eric Milliburg claims his wife injected the drugs into Alexis that night, not him Alexis' mother addressed Milliburg directly and said My family will never be the same Even if you're not going to accept responsibility, you can still be sorry for what has happened She then addressed the judge saying the world is no longer the same now that Lexis isn't in it and that she still cries over her death every day. She pleaded with Judge Hadley to sentence Eric to the maximum penalty,

adding, I don't think there is any hope that he will change. I would like to see him stay where he belongs so he can't hurt anyone else. Judge Scott Hadley sentenced Eric to spend five years to life in prison for child abuse homicide a first-degree felony, and one to 15 years for obstructing justice, a second-degree felony. He was also sentenced to two terms of zero to five years for the unlawful and statutory rape of a 16-year-old and desecration of a human body, both third-degree felonies.

The sentences were ordered to run consecutively. Dia's trial was held in April of 2012 and she whispered guilty to charges of obtaining a prescription illegally, obstructing justice, and abuse and desecration of a human body. All three are third-degree felonies. She was sentenced in August to zero to five years for all counts combined. The following clip is of her sentencing. The judge addresses the fact that she spent three years with her family and now has to go to prison. It seems as though Dia didn't think she was going to be sent to jail by the way she collapsed in tears at the sentence she was given.

I can't fix your prayers, and I hope one day you'll be able to forgive me, and that God will bring you peace. Your Honor, I'm not going to make excuses for what I've done. I think it would only make things worse. I have no way to express the magnitude of grief that I feel for Alexis' family for what I've done. But I take responsibility, and thank you for just letting me say my piece. Thank you.

The bottom line is, Ms. Millerberg, you can probably tell from where i'm headed i do think that prison is the appropriate sentence in this particular situation i realized that three years of allowing you to rebuild and your families and everything of that nature and then to come in and say okay judge you're going to destroy that but i take these cases as i find them to be um you know i didn't have any control that it took three years to bring this to trial i have to balance society the need for punishment the need for rehabilitation and i know defendants get tired of this but with all due respect sometimes it's not about the defendant i know you have needs i know you have children i know you have families

but sometimes you know you do such acts that are such extreme and so heinous and burying this young girl's body and hiding it from the police you've got to balance that and you have I have to put it all in perspective. It's going to be the order and sentence of the court that you're to serve three indeterminate terms at the Utah State Prison of zero to five years. I will recommend that they run concurrent. I will recommend that you get credit for an all-time serve,

which I show to be approximately 62 days. I do agree that there is restitution. I will recommend to the Board of Pardons that there be $12,078.75 in restitution that they should consider at any time that you are paroled. I'm going to leave it to the Board of Partners to see whether or not it should be joint or several. I will say one other comment for the record. I would have run the drug charge zero to five.

I would have run the other two charges consecutive. But I agreed up front when I took this plea that I would honor the agreement to run them concurrently, and that's what I've done today. That will be all. Sometime in 2012, Eric changed a tattoo that was on his neck from saying Dia to saying Death, which resulted in disciplinary action against him. While awaiting trial in July of 2013, Eric was stabbed two dozen times in his neck, head, back, and arms by his cellmate, Simon Russell Scown. Eric was transferred to the hospital where he was released 24 hours later The inmate was charged with attempted murder and obstruction of justice

Dia filed for divorce from Eric and she was denied parole twice once in 2015 and again in 2017 She was granted parole in 2018 a year early for completing a substance abuse course and culinary and business programs. Alexis's mother stated to reporters the following regarding the loss of Alexis. I will never be as happy as I was when she was more than just a memory. Something as small as her empty chair at the dinner table can send me spiraling into sadness.

we had to create a new normal because even though one of the most amazing people in the world is gone time goes on