A depraved mother allegedly dumped the strangled body of her 1-year-old baby girl into the back of a hearse parked outside an Alabama funeral home and is now facing murder charges, according to authorities.
Terica Pearl was arrested after her daughter Blessence’s body was found Saturday by an employee at West Gadsden Funeral Home when someone reported what they thought was a doll inside a hearse, WSAW reported.
The funeral home employee then made the gruesome discovery that the doll was a dead human child when they went to retrieve it, the owner of the funeral home, Dantez Robinson, told the outlet.
Little Blessence’s remains were found strangulated with a “thick robe string,” according to court records obtained by WBRC.
Pearl was arrested by Gadsden police on Sunday and charged with capital murder, according to court records.
Robinson has since organized a vigil for the child, who was just a few months away from turning two.
“My heart fell to my feet,” the funeral owner told WVTM.
“I have young ones. I have two kids at the age of 4 and 7. To get the phone call, my heart was shattered, shattered into a million pieces.”
Ekra Tolbert, a friend of Blessence’s grandmother, told the outlet that the grandmother was utterly heartbroken over the tot’s troubling death.
“Her heart is completely torn up … I couldn’t sleep last night, so I know she couldn’t sleep last night cause she’s the grandmother.”
Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford described Blessence’s death as a “tough case for everyone involved.”
“I’m proud of the way our police department went after the truth and got it done. An arrest doesn’t take away the hurt, but it does mean we’re one step closer to justice for this child,” he told the outlet.
Pearl is being held in Etowah County Jail without bond.
The incident is still under investigation as cops urge the public to come forward with any information.
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