# Stepfather led police to missing 2-year-old's body; autopsy now expected Monday



## Leeda.the.Paladin (Sep 27, 2021)

BATON ROUGE - The body of toddler who was reported missing in Baton Rouge on Friday was found days later in a remote area of Mississippi.

Nevaeh Allen, 2, was found dead in the Logtown area of Hancock County on Sunday, the Baton Rouge Police Department confirmed Sunday. 

The FBI, in conjunction with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, shut down Logtown Road off Mississippi 604 in Pearlington on Sunday to search for the body of Navaeh, who was reportedly last seen in Baton Rouge neighborhood while in the care of her mother's live-in boyfriend, 30-year-old Phillip Gardner.

The girl's body was brought back to East Baton Rouge for an autopsy. The coroner's office said Monday that it planned to complete that examination later that same afternoon.

Detectives booked Gardner, described by family and police as the girl's stepfather, on charges of obstruction of justice and unlawful disposal of remains. More charges are possible pending the ongoing investigation.

Arrest records said Gardner claimed he found the girl lifeless and then dumped her body somewhere without alerting authorities. Sources said he later led police to the spot were he left the toddler's remains.

Nevaeh was allegedly last seen alive when Gardner fell asleep while watching her around lunchtime Friday.  She was not discovered as missing until her siblings arrived home from school around 4 p.m. Friday and the apartment door was open.

The toddler was first reported missing from her home, an apartment complex on La Belle Avenue, in the Belaire neighborhood of Baton Rouge. Police, the fire department, State Police and the FBI were involved in the three-day-long search.


> *Stream WBRZ newscasts here*


Friday night, troopers issued a Level II Endangered Missing Child Advisory as police searched for Nevaeh Allen.  The alert was canceled Sunday afternoon.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



The child's mother, Lanaya Cardwell, said she left her children with Gardner on Friday.
In an interview with WBRZ, Phillip Gardner's mother, Kim Holmes, said, "I can't see my son hurting a child."
Both Gardner and the girl's mother were questioned by detectives over the weekend before the stepfather was ultimately charged Sunday. 
"It should be the last two adults to see them kids, they need to be questioned," said Casey Amacker, the missing toddler's uncle.
Amacker doesn't believe his sister had anything to do with the toddler's disappearance but understands why she's being questioned.
"I think that [police] should take everybody, the two adults, and ask them the full questions because who can identify anything about her leaving this room right here and walking down these stairs. The story don't make no sense," Casey Amacker said.


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## Leeda.the.Paladin (Sep 27, 2021)

After the FBI found the body of a missing 2-year-old girl from Baton Rouge in Logtown, Mississippi, on Sunday, investigators brought her remains to the East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office to determine cause of death. 

Neveah Allen’s autopsy is scheduled for Monday, but the coroner’s office said it can take up to 90 days to obtain results.

The toddler’s stepfather, Phillip Gardner, 30, was arrested Sunday afternoon on charges of unlawful disposal of remains and obstruction of justice. According to an arrest report, Gardner told detectives he put Neveah down for a nap Friday afternoon, "admitted that he found the juvenile unresponsive and lifeless" and said he "disposed of the remains without notifying authorities."


A spokesman for Baton Rouge Police Department said detectives have not yet implicated anyone in the toddler’s death. The next step is determining how the child died.


Body of missing Baton Rouge toddler found in remote area in Mississippi, coroner confirms​The child had been reported missing Friday afternoon after her siblings returned home from school and discovered she wasn't in the apartment. Gardner initially told police he was at home sleeping, but a police spokesman said Gardner's story eventually changed and that he admitted finding the girl "unresponsive and lifeless" and that he didn't notify police.

*Family members said the relationship between Gardner and the toddler's mother was marked by violence, sometimes involving the child.*


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## lesedi (Sep 27, 2021)

This child was failed all round.

By the evil predatory stepfather.
By her mother.
... and by the family who feel no shame jumping up and telling the press that there was violence in the home involving the child despite deciding to keep quiet -letting a toddler get abused.


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## Leeda.the.Paladin (Sep 27, 2021)

The mama is 8 months pregnant during all of this too.  

Im also not sure why the articles keep referring to him as the step father when he’s not married to the mom.


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## lesedi (Sep 27, 2021)

Leeda.the.Paladin said:


> *The mama is 8 months pregnant during all of this too. *
> 
> Im also not sure why the articles keep referring to him as the step father when he’s not married to the mom.


SIGH


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## nysister (Sep 27, 2021)

That poor baby.

Under the prison for everyone involved.


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## Crackers Phinn (Sep 27, 2021)

Instead of asking why bw without the money for daycare leave their children with their black boyfriends/bd's, people need to start asking why black men can't be left alone with children.   See I understand why mama got to work, I don't understand why these men can't keep they hands off these kids in whatever manner they seem unable to refrain from while these woman are at work. 

Because please remember, it's not mama going to work that's getting the kids hemmed up, it's what these men are doing.


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## dancinstallion (Sep 27, 2021)

Crackers Phinn said:


> Instead of asking why bw without the money for daycare leave their children with their black boyfriends/bd's, people need to start asking why black men can't be left alone with children.   See I understand why mama got to work, I don't understand why these men can't keep they hands off these kids in whatever manner they seem unable to refrain from while these woman are at work.
> 
> Because please remember, it's not mama going to work that's getting the kids hemmed up, it's what these men are doing.



Exactly!!!
This happened to my 18 yr old niece last year, the 18 yr old father, who lives in the home, was left with the baby and shook the baby unconconcious for crying. He was charged.

They already had one kid together but that kid was raised in my sister's house, the year before, so I don't think the boyfriend had to be alone with the kids. 
My niece is on baby number 4.


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## Kanky (Sep 29, 2021)

Crackers Phinn said:


> Instead of asking why bw without the money for daycare leave their children with their black boyfriends/bd's, people need to start asking why black men can't be left alone with children.   See I understand why mama got to work, I don't understand why these men can't keep they hands off these kids in whatever manner they seem unable to refrain from while these woman are at work.
> 
> Because please remember, it's not mama going to work that's getting the kids hemmed up, it's what these men are doing.


It is the Cinderella effect. Black women are a lot more likely to have “stepfathers” around
and stepfathers are a lot more likely to abuse  children. There are studies showing that having a step parent increases a child’s risk of both intentional and accidental injury.


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## naturalgyrl5199 (Sep 29, 2021)

Crackers Phinn said:


> Instead of asking why bw without the money for daycare leave their children with their black boyfriends/bd's, people need to start asking why black men can't be left alone with children.   See I understand why mama got to work, I don't understand why these men can't keep they hands off these kids in whatever manner they seem unable to refrain from while these woman are at work.
> 
> *Because please remember, it's not mama going to work that's getting the kids hemmed up, it's what these men are doing.*


PERIOD.


T R I G G E R---W A R N I N G: Re Abuse, Death of a Child.

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I'm still HAUNTED by the funeral I attended of a 2 YO child who was abused by his mother's boyfriend. She had been with that boy all of 3 months. *I* got the call about the child being murdered with the butt of a handgun at 2 AM by his grandmother. The baby was disfigured as he lie at rest. I wanted to choke the funeral home directors. At the wake the funeral home staff were cackling not 5 feet away from his tiny body. I went OFF.

The funeral had everyone shook. Several of us just paced outside. The breakdown of that relationship and the situation happened so fast. I mean this guy was isolating her within 6 weeks of their relationship according to the grand mom who was my employee. Thats ALL it took. Of course rather than let the child stay with his grand mom as per usual, she let her baby be kept by her boyfriend while she worked overnight. Because he had already started abusing that boy--and she KNEW her mother would go off. The was screaming in my ear that they found old bruises on him. Of course her mama was the first person she called when the baby was hospitalized. The signs are ALWAYS there. And these predators move QUICK.


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## Leeda.the.Paladin (Sep 29, 2021)

Well they are saying that the mom was in on it…

Mother & boyfriend charged with murder in 2-year-old Nevaeh Allen's death​
BATON ROUGE - The mother of a 2-year-old who was found dead over the weekend is now charged in the toddler's death. Police have also upgraded charges against her boyfriend.

Just an hour before BRPD held a news conference to discuss new developments in the death of Nevaeh Allen, officers at a State Police facility were seen placing the girl's mother, Lanaya Cardwell, in the back of a police unit in handcuffs. Police confirmed at that briefing Wednesday that Cardwell was charged with second-degree murder.

Arrest documents say the two-year-old picked up Cardwell's contact lenses in the morning while she was getting ready for work. Cardwell punched the toddler, causing her to fall backward and hit her head on a cabinet. 

The mother's live-in boyfriend, Philip Gardner, told police Cardwell grabbed Neveah and took her into another room. He described it as "hearing what sounded like two adults fighting in the room," according to arrest documents. 

Gardner told police that Neveah had a bruise on her forehead when he left to take Cardwell to work. He said when he got back, the toddler laid down on the couch, refused to eat because of stomach pain, and became unresponsive. 

Along with Neveah, Gardner was also watching a 3-year-old and an 11-month-old at the home Friday. 

Arrest documents say Gardner tried to revive her using CPR but was unsuccessful. He told police he left his phone at the apartment and put the toddler in a small suitcase. He drove the other two children to Mississippi, where he buried Neveah in the woods and threw her clothes in a trash can. 
An autopsy report said Neveah had multiple bruises on her face and head, along with swelling in her brain. The coroner noted that the marks on her face resembled handprints. There were also bruises on her thighs and rear. Injuries to her abdomen were consistent with being punched in the stomach. Because Neveah had severe brain trauma, the coroner said "it cannot be ruled out that the victim was still alive at the time that Gardner placed her in the suitcase and suffocated to death."

The toddler was found dead in Mississippi on Sunday, two days after Gardner reported her missing from the apartment complex on La Belle Avenue in Baton Rouge. 

Gardner initially told investigators that Nevaeh disappeared after he fell asleep Friday afternoon, kicking off a days-long search for the child involving State Police and the FBI.

Gardner later changed his story, telling investigators he found the girl unresponsive and then dumped her body in a remote area of Mississippi. He later led officers to a wooded area where they found the child's remains.

He too is charged with second-degree murder, along with obstruction of justice and unlawful disposal of remains. 

Gardner told police he could not explain why he did not call 911 when he realized Neveah needed medical attention. He said he had seen previous instances of Cardwell being abusive, but never intervened or reported it.


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## Chicoro (Sep 30, 2021)

Such a terrible, horrific situation that is all too common across all ethnic groups and all countries in this world.

May the little one finally, Rest In Peace. The mother may likely lose all her children. It’s a shame that children are at the mercy of the caregivers and parents who don’t always have their best interests at heart.


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## lavaflow99 (Sep 30, 2021)

Disgusting. Piece of  gestational carrier. May hell have a chair ready for her arrival.


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## naturalgyrl5199 (Sep 30, 2021)

I can't do this today. My preemie miracle turned 8 today ya'll. It took prayer, and more prayer, and pleading to conceive and have this kid--then KEEP her alive while I watched her body fight, darn near to the brink of death. Then these Pcs of poo.

Its a terrible way to die. That poor baby was alone, hurting, in pain and confused. Hopefully she passed in a way where she just fell asleep. I'm shaking. Oh and 2 year olds can speak but not very well. At least he led them to her body so the rest of her family can be at peace. At least he found some semblance of guilt to at least not let her rot in the cold.  

Goodbye.


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## SoniT (Sep 30, 2021)

This is sickening. That huge woman beating on her 2 year old like she was somebody in the street.  Rest in peace baby girl.


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## Kanky (Sep 30, 2021)

I need to stop reading these kinds of stories.   That poor baby.


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## Crackers Phinn (Sep 30, 2021)

If the mother did this then she deserves what she gets but dudes story don't sound right.   He's saying the mother beat up the child by herself, then he took moms to work leaving 3 children under the age of 4 at home by themselves.  He came back and found the 2 year old with a bruise and a tummy ache who then suddenly becomes unresponsive while he's the only adult there and his first response is not to call an ambulance but to stuff a child into a suitcase and bury the body.

He know good and damn well he killed that child after he took the mother to work.  The police would have to charge the mother since it's now a case of he said she said and there's a child's body.

ETA - Forensics will be able to determine the size of the hand that hit or punch the body so the truth will come out.


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## Leeda.the.Paladin (Sep 30, 2021)

I have been sick over this all day.


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## dancinstallion (Sep 30, 2021)

I am at a loss of words. 

 RIP baby girl.


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## Peppermynt (Sep 30, 2021)

I just can’t imagine the anger you’d have to have to beat up a 2 year old. Like what kind of rage does that take and WTH does it come from? Especially your own child.   What is wrong with people?


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## frizzy (Oct 1, 2021)

Did I read that the mother is currently pregnant?


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## Leeda.the.Paladin (Oct 1, 2021)

frizzy said:


> Did I read that the mother is currently pregnant?


Yes. She also has a 3 year old and a 11 month old.


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## naturalgyrl5199 (Oct 4, 2021)

This is that one fleeting time of a fleeting feeling I get when I feel like Birth Control and Tubal ligation should be free to women like this. And offered. 

In real life this is real Eugenics-y. But I just want this woman to not have the ability to bring babies into this world already set up for a trajectory of failure. Yeah its an unpopular opinion. I don't know what else there is. Jail but its too late, 1 dead and 2-3 abused kids. The unborn is abused because the person carrying him ain't right in the head.


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## naturalgyrl5199 (Oct 4, 2021)

Crackers Phinn said:


> If the mother did this then she deserves what she gets but dudes story don't sound right.   He's saying the mother beat up the child by herself, then he took moms to work leaving 3 children under the age of 4 at home by themselves.  He came back and found the 2 year old with a bruise and a tummy ache who then suddenly becomes unresponsive while he's the only adult there and his first response is not to call an ambulance but to stuff a child into a suitcase and bury the body.
> 
> He know good and damn well he killed that child after he took the mother to work.  The police would have to charge the mother since it's now a case of he said she said and there's a child's body.
> 
> ETA - Forensics will be able to determine the size of the hand that hit or punch the body so the truth will come out.


Yes you are right. He did it.


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## Leeda.the.Paladin (Oct 4, 2021)

naturalgyrl5199 said:


> This is that one fleeting time of a fleeting feeling I get when I feel like Birth Control and Tubal ligation should be free to women like this. And offered.
> 
> In real life this is real Eugenics-y. But I just want this woman to not have the ability to bring babies into this world already set up for a trajectory of failure. Yeah its an unpopular opinion. I don't know what else there is. Jail but its too late, 1 dead and 2-3 abused kids. The unborn is abused because the person carrying him ain't right in the head.


You read my mind. I definitely support my tax dollars going towards free tubals and ligations.

I have to wonder if some kind of birth control outreach would work to prevent this type of problem. I have had experiences in the nicu with moms who honestly didn’t know what options were available to them for birth control and had a limited knowledge on how and when pregnancy takes place.

A lot of these women also did not have transportation to get to a doctor.


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## Crackers Phinn (Oct 4, 2021)

naturalgyrl5199 said:


> This is that one fleeting time of a fleeting feeling I get when I feel like Birth Control and Tubal ligation should be free to women like this. And offered.
> 
> In real life this is real Eugenics-y. But I just want this woman to not have the ability to bring babies into this world already set up for a trajectory of failure. Yeah its an unpopular opinion. I don't know what else there is. Jail but its too late, 1 dead and 2-3 abused kids. The unborn is abused because the person carrying him ain't right in the head.


It's not Eugenics-y.  Not every woman who gets pregnant should take it to term because the ability to conceive does not determine the ability to parent.  It should be obvious after all the lies presented as "common sense" that babies do not make women "grow up".


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## Kanky (Oct 5, 2021)

naturalgyrl5199 said:


> This is that one fleeting time of a fleeting feeling I get when I feel like Birth Control and Tubal ligation should be free to women like this. And offered.
> 
> In real life this is real Eugenics-y. But I just want this woman to not have the ability to bring babies into this world already set up for a trajectory of failure. Yeah its an unpopular opinion. I don't know what else there is. Jail but its too late, 1 dead and 2-3 abused kids. The unborn is abused because the person carrying him ain't right in the head.


She probably wanted to have children and wouldn’t accept the free birth control. Birth control is already pretty cheap.

These kinds of people aren’t capable of first recognizing that they shouldn’t have children and then taking the steps necessary to make sure that they don’t have them. Someone else would need to make that decision and then force that decision on them. Full on eugenics basically. Obviously a bad idea.

A healthy, fully functional society could help these kinds of people and support these children, but we don’t really have one.


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## Theresamonet (Oct 5, 2021)

Has the mother made any statements yet? Is she proclaiming her innocence? It seems that everything we know thus far, is coming from the boyfriend.

I don't think it's far fetched that the mother and boyfriend were both involved, we've seen it before. I'm just having difficulties with this guy's story. I find it hard to believe that he loves this women--whom he was apparently violent towards-- so much that he will dispose of a body, and lie to cover for her multiple times, even after being arrested.

1. He hears the mother beating the child. Child subsequently dies; he disposes of the body. - Doesn't tell the authorities the child was beaten by mom.
2. Child is reported missing. He says he doesn't know anything. Child just vanished. - Doesn't tell the authorities the child was beaten by mom.
3. Child's body is found. Authorities arrest him. He admits that he found child dead and disposed of the body - STILL doesn't say that mom beat child to death.

Then a few days after his arrest he has this new story about the mom beating the child, that he had ample opportunity to provide for the beginning, and especially once HE was arrested and charged.

I'd like to know if there were phone calls and texts between the two during the time he would have been finding the child dead and disposing of the body. It would be strange (stranger than his actions already were) for him to do all of that, without shooting the mom a text or quick call to say "Um, you beat your baby to death, but no worries, I'll handle it". 

I'm just saying, I need more evidence before I personally can conclude that mom is scum, and should fry.


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## Theresamonet (Oct 5, 2021)

It's also sadly possible, that mom beat the child in the AM, and he did something else to cause her death later that afternoon. I'm very interested in the autopsy report. Which they are saying will take months. But if the child was still alive when he disposed of the body, I think they're going to have a difficult time convicting mom on the murder charges.


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## naturalgyrl5199 (Oct 6, 2021)

Theresamonet said:


> It's also sadly possible, that mom beat the child in the AM, and he did something else to cause her death later that afternoon. I'm very interested in the autopsy report. Which they are saying will take months. But if the child was still alive when he disposed of the body,* I think they're going to have a difficult time convicting mom on the murder charges.*


Per the trigger warning I posted upthread: I am surprised the mother in that case isn't in jail. She knew her son was being beat. 


Crackers Phinn said:


> It's not Eugenics-y.  Not every woman who gets pregnant should take it to term because the ability to conceive does not determine the ability to parent.  It should be obvious after all the lies presented as "common sense" that babies do not make women "grow up".



But you know as soon as sterilization is provided at no charge or people become willing to sponsor it, the backlash would be huge. I don't get it.

There was a lady who was just single handedly helping black women in her area get resources who were dirt poor, i mean DIRT POOR. Helping with transportation, helping with money for food, or applications for food stamps, medicaid just running herself ragged because some of the women just kept adding to their brood. One lady asked for help for a tubal ligation and several others did as well. She started a fund that was receiving a steady stream of money (pre-cash app days). Word got around and other black women and advocates were calling her that Margret Sanger lady.  Totally ignoring the fact that these women wanted to stop having kids and were already overwhelmed. I mean as soon as one lady would land a job and affordable daycare, she would be boo'd up again and pregnant shortly thereafter. One lady had 3 kids then a new boo got her pregnant with twins. The little white lady bout had a heart attack because they'd spent a solid year getting housing, a job and affordable daycare arranged--waiting on their turn on some of the waiting lists. She didn't want to keep the babies but the little lady told her she'd made her decision too late.


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## Crackers Phinn (Dec 26, 2022)

Mother, boyfriend plead not guilty in 2-year-old Nevaeh Allen's murder​February 07, 2022
BATON ROUGE - A couple accused of beating a toddler to death and then faking the girl's disappearance was formally charged with her murder Jan. 27 and plead not guilty Feb. 7. 

Court records show a grand jury indicted Phillip Gardner and Lanaya Cardwell, each on a count of second-degree murder, in the death of 2-year-old Nevaeh Allen. Gardner also faces a charge for obstruction of justice.

The pair was arrested in September after a sprawling search for the missing girl ended with her body being found inside a suitcase in a wooded area of Mississippi. Cardwell initially claimed Nevaeh vanished from her Baton Rouge apartment, but police later uncovered that Gardner dumped the 2-year-old's body after he found her unresponsive at their home. 

Cardwell and Gardner were later accused of physically abusing the 2-year-old girl, leaving her with grave injuries that ultimately killed her.

Both are currently jailed in East Baton Rouge on $375,000 bonds.
Mother, boyfriend plead not guilty in 2-year-old Nevaeh Allen's murder (wbrz.com)

As of 8/25/22 the mothers hearing is delayed
Hearing for mom of Nevaeh Allen delayed again (wafb.com)


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## yamilee21 (Dec 27, 2022)

Statistically, the most dangerous person in any child’s life continues to be a mother’s male partner who is not their biological father. Really, the surprising story is the one where a male partner/stepfather raises the child as if they were his own. But, from an biological-evolutionary perspective, it would be fascinating to understand what allows so many mothers to go along with harming/not protecting their children.


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