A woman charged in the death of a toddler will face a judge on Monday

COLUMBIA, Missouri (KMIZ)

The woman accused in the death of a toddler will face a Boone County judge on Monday.

Lavosha Daniels, 32, of Independence – the baby's mother – was charged with first-degree abandonment of a corpse and endangering the welfare of a child. Samone Daniels, who was 4 to 5 months old, was found dead outside a tire shop in 2019.

She is being held in the Boone County Jail. Her bail was already reduced to $500,000 in June 2023 and is currently $100,000.

The child was killed after allegedly being strangled by Staffone Fountain.

Staffone Fountain, 32, of Independence, Missouri, was originally charged with first-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse. In August, he pleaded guilty to abandonment of a corpse and involuntary manslaughter.

The state recommended a four-year sentence for abandonment of a corpse and seven years for involuntary manslaughter, to run concurrently.

Former Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones said in June 2022 that the baby died two years before her remains were discovered in a bag behind a store on Providence Road in Columbia in 2019.