Published: November 04, 2009 11:16 am      

Prosecution rests in Baby Grace case

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — The prosecution has rested in the Galveston capital murder trial of a man accused in the 2007 death of his toddler stepdaughter.

The defense was expected to begin its case Wednesday in the trial of Royce Clyde Zeigler II of Spring.

Riley Ann Sawyers was unidentified when her body was found, in a plastic container, in Galveston Bay. Relatives in Mentor, Ohio, recognized the 2-year-old victim from media accounts about the unknown child dubbed “Baby Grace.”

A coroner testified Tuesday that an autopsy found the girl had three skull fractures.

Prosecutors maintain Riley died after a violent discipline session in July 2007. Her remains were discovered three months later by a fisherman.