BATON ROUGE, La. — The mother of a Baton Rouge toddler who was found dead in a remote area of Mississippi was arrested Wednesday, authorities said.
Lanaya Cardwell was arrested by the Baton Rouge Police Department, Chief Muprhy J. Paul Jr. said during a news conference. Cardwell was charged with second-degree murder.
The body of 2-year-old Nevaeh Allen was found by authorities on Sunday in the Logtown area of Hancock County, Pearl River County Coroner Derek Turnage confirmed to the Sun Herald of Biloxi. Allen was found two days after she disappeared from a Baton Rouge apartment complex, WBRZ reported. Authorities recovered her body in the Logtown area of Hancock County, the Sun Herald reported.
Lanaya Cardwell charged with second degree murder for the death of her daughter Nevaeh Allen. https://t.co/Ij66lYzeT6 pic.twitter.com/7kLqpo8Xxh
— WAFB (@WAFB) September 29, 2021
“It saddens me that this beautiful, innocent angel is no longer with us,” Paul told reporters.
Allen’s death was ruled a homicide on Monday, WAFB reported.
The child’s stepfather, Phillip Gardner, 30, was arrested Sunday on charges of unlawful disposal of remains and obstruction of justice, The Advocate reported.
According to WBRZ, the child was last seen when Gardner fell asleep while watching her around lunchtime Friday. She was reported as missing until Allen’s siblings returned home from school at around 4 p.m. CDT and found the apartment door open.
Gardner later changed his story, telling investigators he found the girl unresponsive and then dumped her body, WBRZ reported.
Investigators determined after questioning Gardner that they had enough information to charge him with a crime related to allegations that he hid the missing child’s body, the television station reported.
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