Napa woman, boyfriend arrested in slaying of daughter, 3

This image provided by the Napa Police department shows Ryan Scott Warner, who was detained at a San Francisco Bay Area commuter train station along with Sara Krueger Sunday Feb. 2, 2014 in the city of El Cerrito, Calif. The couple was wanted for questioning in the death of Krueger's 3-year-old daughter. (AP Photo/Napa Police Department) less This image provided by the Napa Police department shows Ryan Scott Warner, who was detained at a San Francisco Bay Area commuter train station along with Sara Krueger Sunday Feb. 2, 2014 in the city of El ... more Photo: Associated Press Photo: Associated Press Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Napa woman, boyfriend arrested in slaying of daughter, 3 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A woman and her boyfriend being sought in connection with the sexual assault and beating death of her 3-year-old daughter were arrested on suspicion of murder Sunday after being detained by BART police in El Cerrito, authorities said.

Sara Krueger, 23, and her boyfriend, Ryan Scott Warner, 26, were spotted by a BART police officer at El Cerrito del Norte BART Station about 11 a.m. and were taken into custody, said BART Deputy Police Chief Ben Fairow. Moments earlier, the two had been seen at a nearby restaurant and fled when they realized they had been spotted, police said.

After taking custody of the couple and interviewing them, Napa police arrested Krueger and Warner on suspicion of special-circumstances murder and assault on a child resulting in death in connection with the killing of her daughter, Kayleigh Slusher.

The special-circumstances allegation makes them eligible for life in prison without the possibility of parole or for the death penalty if convicted. Napa County prosecutors will decide later whether to seek lethal injection. District Attorney Gary Lieberstein said Sunday that his office had not yet reviewed the case.

Kayleigh was found dead in her bed in Krueger's unit at the Royal Garden apartment complex at 2060 Wilkins Ave. about 1 p.m. Saturday by officers conducting a welfare check based on an anonymous phone tip, police said.

"No parent or guardian was present at the residence," said Napa police Lt. Debbie Peecook.

The girl appeared to have suffered blunt force trauma, said Peecook, adding, "There is also preliminary evidence of a sexual assault." She would have turned 4 in May.

Krueger and Warner last had been seen carrying luggage from her apartment about 10 a.m. Saturday, police said. They do not have a car, and efforts by police to contact them by cell phone had been unsuccessful, Peecook said.

Kayleigh's father Jason Slusher, 33, was sent to San Quentin prison in October to begin serving a prison sentence, records show.

A pink Hello Kitty bicycle sat on the porch outside Krueger's second-floor apartment on Sunday. A makeshift memorial of balloons and candles sat on the ground nearby.

Neighbors expressed shock at Kayleigh's slaying.

Catherine Fryer, 51, said the little girl was "precious, very friendly, open and a darling."

Krueger also seemed "nice and friendly," Fryer said. "She helped me if she saw me outside." Fryer said she hadn't known that Warner had been living in the apartment.

Kindra Kunkel, a friend of Krueger, sobbed as she addressed reporters, saying, "We did a lot together. I can't believe it, I just can't. This is not Sara. This is not the girl I know."