Mom Accused Of Killing 'Sweetest Little Baby' Arraigned

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A probationer accused of fatally beating and slashing her 3-year-old daughter in the backyard of a Highgrove sober living group home pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a murder charge.

Susan Marie Rank, 30, was arrested last month for allegedly killing her child in the 3000 block of Cannes Avenue, just north of Interstate 215.

Along with the murder count, Rank is charged with a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.

She was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Samuel Diaz, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for March 16 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Rank is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

Sheriff's deputies were summoned to the Highgrove group home shortly before 7 a.m. on Jan. 26 and found Zayla Rank "with obvious signs of trauma," according to Sgt. Wally Clear.

Court documents allege that the defendant used a box cutter to attack the toddler, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rank was questioned at the home, along with several other occupants, and then arrested without incident.

The probationer's mother, Lori Wood, told reporters her daughter suffered from mental instability, evidently connected to a congenital brain tumor. According to Wood, Rank had repeatedly sought help treating her disorder, but she was "shoved out the door" of mental health facilities without any resolution.

Wood described Zayla as the "sweetest little baby" and said she had intended to try to gain custody of her granddaughter.

According to court records, Rank, also known as Susan Marie Parizek, has a prior conviction for felony evading in connection with a January 2016 confrontation with Riverside police. She also has a 2013 misdemeanor conviction for driving under the influence.

— By City News Service / Image via Riverside County Sheriff's Department