AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. — A former Airway Heights resident pleaded guilty to charges connected to the 2022 death of her 8-year-old adopted daughter, marking the second conviction in a case that shocked the community, according to the Airway Heights Police Department.
Mandie R. Miller entered guilty pleas in Spokane County Superior Court to homicide by abuse (domestic violence), assault of a child in the second degree (domestic violence), and two counts of unlawful imprisonment (domestic violence) in connection with the death of Meela Rose Miller, police said.
Miller served as both the child’s adoptive mother and biological aunt.
The case began when Miller and her boyfriend, Aleksandr O. Kurmoyarov, were arrested Dec. 14, 2022, in Mitchell, South Dakota, according to police. The pair had transported Meela’s body from Airway Heights in a U-Haul trailer containing a casket and attempted to have her buried at a cemetery near Mitchell.
Funeral home staff became suspicious of the unusual request and contacted law enforcement. Officers responding to the call discovered a body inside the trailer.
Mitchell Police Department detectives contacted Airway Heights detectives while attempting to confirm the identity of the deceased, which initiated the homicide investigation into Meela’s death, according to the Airway Heights Police Department.
The investigation revealed Meela died Sept. 10, 2022, after enduring months of restraint and abuse by Miller and Kurmoyarov, police said.
Both defendants were charged in Spokane County Superior Court, extradited back to Washington, and booked into the Spokane County Jail. In September 2023, Kurmoyarov pleaded guilty to second degree murder, second degree assault, and three counts of unlawful imprisonment, according to police. He agreed to fully cooperate with prosecutors and testify as part of the case.
The investigation involved collaboration between multiple agencies, including the Airway Heights Police Department, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Spokane County Forensics Unit, Mitchell Police Department, and the Davison County Medical Examiner and Coroner’s Office, according to the Airway Heights Police Department.
Airway Heights Police Department Lead Detective Erin Johnson led the investigation, supported by other department investigators, police said.
The Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, with Prosecutor Preston McCollum leading the effort.
Miller’s sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2026. Kurmoyarov’s sentencing is planned for Feb. 10, 2026.