Murder and Rape Charges in Shaniya Davis Case
Murder and rape charges have been filed against Mario Andrette McNeill in the death of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis.
McNeill has already been charged with kidnapping the Fayetteville, North Carolina, girl. Shaniya was reported missing last week, and her body was found Monday beside a road near Sanford, about 30 miles northwest of Fayetteville.
Fayetteville Police Chief Tom Bergamine told reporters that preliminary autopsy reports indicate that Shaniya was asphyxiated but tests are still being run and a final report has not been released.
McNeill will be charged with first-degree murder and rape of a child, Bergamine said. The new arrest warrants were served Thursday night.
Shaniya’s mother, Antoinette Nicole Davis, has been charged with human trafficking and other offenses. Police have said they believe Davis was prostituting the child.
Fayetteville police say that charges against Davis stand as they are but the investigation is ongoing.
The case has taken an emotional toll on the officers involved and grief counseling is available for members of the department.
“It’s been a tough case,” said Fayetteville Police Capt. Charles Kimball, the toughest in his 14 years, he said. “Our mission was to find Shaniya and we did it.”
“This case here has reached out and touched all of us,” Bergamine said.
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source: CNN
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