A Prescott Valley woman who sexually assaulted a toddler she was babysitting will spend the next five decades in prison after pleading guilty to a series of crimes that prosecutors described as shocking even by the standards of child abuse cases.
Kelly Rae Smith, 45, was sentenced Wednesday to 52 years in prison by a Yavapai County Superior Court judge. Under the terms of her plea agreement, she must serve every day of that sentence — meaning she will not be eligible for release until 2077. If she is still alive when that date arrives, she will be placed on lifetime sex offender probation.
The investigation began in April 2024 when Prescott Valley police received a tip from someone who knew Smith. That person reported that Smith had made online comments describing the molestation of children she babysat. Detectives who followed up on the tip uncovered videos of Smith sexually assaulting a young child in her care, along with other deeply disturbing digital evidence including chat room posts describing fantasies involving crimes against children.
Smith was arrested in May 2025 and ultimately pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual assault against a child, three counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of bestiality.
Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane used the sentencing as an occasion to call on the Arizona Legislature to expand the state’s use of capital punishment to cover cases in which adults sexually assault children — arguing that the severity of such crimes warrants the most serious possible legal consequences.
