Mother Charged With Daughter's Death Makes Court Appearance

A woman who reported her 3-year-old daughter missing in West Virginia in 2011 has been indicted in her death.

A grand jury on Monday indicted 34-year-old Lena Marie Lunsford Conaway.

She is charged with murder of a child by parent by failure to provide necessities, death of a child by parent by child abuse, child abuse resulting in injury and concealment of a dead human body.

According to a criminal complaint, witnesses saw Conaway bludgeoning her daughter, Aliayah Lunsford. Witnesses said Aliayah fell to the ground and died hours later.

The complaint says Conaway then withheld medical attention and prevented others from summoning help, then allegedly took steps to conceal the crime.

The child’s body hasn’t been recovered.

Conaway was extradited from Florida in November.