Police Seek To Charge Mother In Death Of Little Black Girl Found In Duffel Bag
The mother of 9-year-old Trinity Love Jones could soon face charges for played some role in the death of her child who was found in a duffel bag on a trail in Hacienda Heights, California.
SEE ALSO: Vigil Held After Police Identify Dead Body As Missing 2-Year-Old Noelani Robinson
Investigators said they were preparing a criminal case against Taquesta Graham, 28, that they plan to present to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, KTRK-TV reported on Friday.
Authorities extradited Graham on Thursday from Texas to Los Angeles where she’s being held on an unrelated warrant. After she arrived in Los Angeles, investigators interviewed her regarding her daughter’s killing. She was not immediately charged in the girl’s death.
On March 12, police arrested Graham’s boyfriend, 38-year-old Emiel Hunt, and charged him with Trinity’s murder. Hunt faces a maximum sentence of 50 years to life behind bars if he’s convicted.
Graham, a registered sex offender, was convicted in 2009 of enticing a minor female for prostitution. Hunt, who has a prior child abuse conviction from 2005, was taken into custody on March 9 near the San Diego International Airport.
His arrest marked the culmination of a mystery about Trinity’s identity after her body was discovered.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced on March 8 that the death of the then-unidentified girl was a homicide after her remains were found on March 5 near a horse and hiking trail.
Deputy Marvin Crowder said the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner called about 8:30 p.m. Friday to notify the sheriff’s office about the status update. It was previously designated a suspicious death investigation.
This homicide ruling confirmed what many had already suspected—she was killed intentionally.
The sheriff’s office released this statement about the case, “The victim was found partially inside a black rollaway type duffle bag … where her upper body was seen protruding. Although preliminary investigation initially led investigators to believe the victim was between the ages of seven and 10 years, further investigation with the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner determined the victim was a Black female between the ages of eight and 13. The young girl was found to be wearing a pink, long sleeve shirt with gray panda print pants (actual clothing depicted). She stood approx. 4 ft, 5 inch. tall and weighed about 55 lbs. No obvious signs of trauma were found on the victim’s body.”
Workers found her body in bushes near a popular trail. Investigators believed at the time that she was dumped there sometime on the evening of March 3.
SEE ALSO:
Our Sisters’ Keepers? Chicago Unites To Bring Awareness To Missing Girls As Number Of Cases Grow
Where Is Kierra Coles? Everything We Know About Missing Chicago Pregnant Postal Worker
[ione_media_gallery id="3795405" overlay="true"]