Mother of missing Ariz. girl pleads not guilty
Web Producer: Ina Ronquillo
PHOENIX (AP) - The mother of an Arizona girl missing for nearly a year has pleaded not guilty to charges that she killed the 5-year-old child.
The Arizona Republic reports that Jerice Hunter pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and child abuse of her daughter, Jhessye Shockley.
Investigators believe Shockley's body was disposed of days before Hunter reported her missing Oct. 11 and told police that she left Jhessye with the girl's older siblings while she ran an errand and returned to find her gone.
A search of a landfill ended in late June without finding the girl's remains.
Hunter was arrested in November on suspicion of child abuse but later released with the charge dropped.
She was arrested Sept. 6 after a grand jury returned an indictment against her.
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Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com
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