Stepmother charged with murder of girl 'strangled to death and dumped in trash bag'
Her body was discovered on Wednesday morning
- by
Kathryn Lewsey
A stepmother has been arrested and charged for killing her stepdaughter, Skylea Carmack, whose body was found in a trash bag.
Police believe that Amanda Carmack, 34, murdered the 10-year-old girl, who was initially reported missing on Saturday (31 August) evening in Gas City Indiana.
‘There is no rational answer for why anyone would kill a ten-year-old. As a police officer, as time goes on, it was a possibility – but I held out hope. Our main focus was to find her alive and safe, and obviously that did not occur.’
Amanda Carmack
GRANT COUNTY JAIL
He added, ‘I am sad and angry it happened on our watch.’
Skylea’s mother, Stacey Brandenburg, was searching for her girl and handing out photos of Skylea to strangers, asking if they recognised her.
She said to Fox 59, ‘My baby is out here just anywhere, God only knows where, in the dark, by her poor little self.’
When Skylea was still missing, her father, Kevin Carmack, had told Fox 59 that he feared his daughter had ran away as she had run away from home before.
He said that his daughter had been grounded and, ‘it just went a little too far and she got stuck and how she’s just scared to come home.’
Mr Carmack also said that he had been at work when his daughter disappeared, who was at home with Amanda and six other children.
Amanda Carmack is currently in jail on charges of murder, domestic battery resulting in death, and neglect of a dependent causing death.
