West Virginia woman accused of killing her own daughter after announcing her disappearance
On May 18, Staci Wind reported her daughter missing, and days later the young woman's remains were found in a shallow grave.
A West Virginia mother is accused of murdering her daughter as she was preparing to move, then reporting her missing despite knowing what had happened to her.
She has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 26-year-old daughter Ayla Wind, regional network WCHS, an ABC and Fox affiliate, reported.
Ayla Wind was preparing to return to Utah, according to a GoFundMe campaign created for her family.
Although she was reported to have been in West Virginia with her mother when she was tragically murdered, the young woman was headed west to join other family members, the campaign adds.
On May 18, Staci Wind reported her daughter missing, West Virginia State Police said in a news release.
Investigators reviewed phone records that show Ayla Wind sent a text message to her mother telling her she was buying snacks at a gas station, according to local NBC affiliate WSAZ.
Four days later, police responded to the scene in Summit Lake, Greenbrier County. Human remains were found in a shallow grave and the victim was identified as Ayla Wind.
Investigators believe she was burned to death.
Authorities did not say what led them to consider Staci Wind a suspect, but she was arrested and booked into jail. It is unknown when he will appear in court.