An Indiana woman who misled authorities into believing that her 10-year-old stepdaughter had run away has been charged with murder after the child’s body was discovered in a trash bag at their home, investigators said on Thursday.
Amanda D. Carmack, aged 34, was taken into custody early Wednesday after a four-day search for Skylea Carmack, Indiana State Police said in a statement. Carmack allegedly strangled the child and hid her body inside a shed behind the family’s Gas City home.
An autopsy determined Skylea had been strangled Saturday between 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., police said Thursday. A coroner ruled the death a homicide.
Skylea’s father, Kevin Carmack, told FOX59 Indianapolis he was at work Saturday when his daughter appeared to have run away around 4 p.m. He said Skylea had been home with his wife and six other children at the time.
Amanda Carmack waited until around 9 p.m. to report Skylea missing, the station reported.
Police believed Carmack to be the only person involved in the murder and have no other suspects, the station reported.
Carmack was charged with murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death, domestic battery resulting in death, and strangulation, authorities said.
She was being held at the Grant County Jail.