MIAMI TOWNSHIP, OH — A Miami Township father has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of his 10-year-old daughter, more than a year after she died. Police say 48-year-old Scott Cleaver was taken into custody Thursday following a lengthy investigation.
According to the Miami Township, Montgomery County, Ohio Police Department, Cleaver faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide and endangering children. The case centers on the death of his daughter, Rylie, and investigators spent months reviewing what happened before announcing the arrest.
Police announce arrest after lengthy investigation
The Miami Township police department said the arrest came after an extended inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Rylie Cleaver’s death. The girl died more than a year before the charges were filed, and authorities did not immediately release additional details about the evidence that led to the arrest.
Cleaver was booked into the Montgomery County Jail after being taken into custody. The criminal case now moves forward in the county system, where prosecutors will handle the charges filed by police.
Officials have not publicly outlined a timeline for court proceedings in the information released so far. The investigation appears to have taken substantial time, suggesting detectives were still piecing together the facts before moving ahead with an arrest.
Charges include involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment
Cleaver’s charges include involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide and endangering children. Each count reflects a different part of the alleged conduct under review by investigators, though police did not provide a detailed account of what they believe happened in the home or elsewhere.
Involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide are among the most serious charges announced in the case, and the child endangerment allegation indicates investigators believe the girl’s safety may have been put at risk. The department has not said whether any other family members were involved or whether additional charges are possible.
At this stage, the announcement focuses on the arrest itself and the charges authorized after the investigation. No further factual description of the alleged events was included in the information released by police.
Who Rylie was and what police have said
Police identified the girl as Rylie, Cleaver’s 10-year-old daughter. Her death prompted the long-running investigation that led to Thursday’s arrest, but authorities have released few other details about her life or the circumstances of her death.
The department’s public statement ties the arrest directly to the case involving Rylie, underscoring how long the matter remained under review. The delay between her death and the charging decision suggests investigators were working through evidence before deciding to proceed.
As of the arrest announcement, officials had not described the cause of death or said what specific events triggered the investigation. Those details may emerge later through court filings or additional statements from prosecutors.
Montgomery County Jail becomes the next stop in the case
After his arrest, Cleaver was held in the Montgomery County Jail. That step places him in custody as the case begins to move through the local criminal justice system.
For now, the public record is limited to the charges and the fact of the arrest. Police have not said whether Cleaver has entered a plea, and no hearing details were included in the announcement made public Thursday.
Cases like this often develop in stages, with prosecutors later laying out more of the factual record in court. Until then, the official information remains centered on the arrest and the three charges filed in connection with Rylie’s death.
What the case means for the community
The arrest brings new attention to a case that had remained unresolved for more than a year. For neighbors and others following the investigation, the charging decision marks the first major public development since the girl’s death.
Police have not said whether the investigation is fully complete or whether more information will be released in the coming days. The department’s announcement does, however, show that detectives spent a significant amount of time building the case before making an arrest.
With Cleaver now facing serious criminal allegations, the matter is expected to continue through the courts. Any further details about what happened to Rylie will likely depend on filings, hearings or additional statements from authorities.
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Police identified the girl as Rylie, and the arrest has renewed focus on a case that had been under investigation for an extended period. The charges remain the central public development for now.
Because the announcement was brief, many questions remain unanswered, including what evidence led police to act at this point. Those answers may come later as the case advances.
