Inset: Javeayah Harris. Left: Michilae Herring. Right: Johmarea Harris (Aiken County Sheriff's Office).
A mother and father from South Carolina are accused of killing their 4-year-old daughter and waiting at least a month to report the girl missing.
Johmarea Harris, 23, and Michilae Herring, 22, are charged with homicide by child abuse in the suspected death of Javeayah Harris, the Aiken County Sheriff's Office said. Herring also is facing a charge of filing a false police report.
"This is the hardest announcement in my 36 years working in law enforcement. I am deeply saddened to tell you our investigation and evidence leads us to believe 4-year-old Javeayah Harris is deceased," Sheriff Marty Sawyer Jr. said in a statement. "It is the outcome that we all feared and sadly, it is now what we face and we will face it together as a community."
The investigation began about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday when Herring called and reported her daughter missing. She claimed in an interview with local CBS affiliate WRDW that she last saw Javeayah near the chicken coop in the backyard of their home near Hillsboro Street and Ridgecrest Road in Aiken roughly 30 minutes earlier.
But cops say that was a lie.
"Sadly, it was already too late to save her the moment the 911 call came in on June 30th," Sawyer said. "At this time our investigation supports that she has been deceased for at least 1 month."
Authorities thus far have been tight-lipped about what evidence led them to believe Javeayah was dead. As of Saturday afternoon, they were still searching an undisclosed location outside Aiken County. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have been involved in the search, according to Sawyer.
Neighbors told local NBC affiliate WYFF that they were previously concerned about Javeayah's well-being and would help her out.
"They fed her, bathed her, and gave her new clothes and sent her back home. It wasn't just me; people in that neighborhood noticed the exact same thing," one neighbor said.
Sawyer said the search for Javeayah continues and they are determined to find her remains.
"Our search for Javeayah drives on," he told reporters at a Saturday press conference. "We are continuing to put massive law enforcement resources to work to recover Javeayah and bring her home. We all hoped and prayed to find her alive, but it's extremely important to bring her home."
Javeayah was described as "a smart, talkative, and friendly girl" who loved Minnie Mouse and to chase chickens.
Harris and Herring are in the Aiken County Jail without bond. They could be facing additional charges at a later date, cops said.