The father and step-mother of a 5-year-old girl found dead in a California storage unit last year pleaded guilty to killing her in a Nevada court on Thursday, the Las Vegas Sun reported.
The decomposing body of little Cali Anderson was found on May 15, 2018, in a Sacramento, California, storage unit, stuffed into a plastic drum. An autopsy revealed she died from complications due to malnourishment, as CrimeOnline reported.
When investigators executed a search warrant at Tyler and Averyauna Anderson’s Reno, Nevada, apartment, they found an animal crate with handcuffs attached to it in the bathroom. The home was extremely dirty with spoiled food strewn across the counters and flooring.
Investigators said the little girl was dead for about before the Andersons, both 25, rented a U-Haul and drove her body to Sacramento.
Averyauna reportedly told detectives she knew Cali was ill but chose not to seek medical care because, she said, Cali was Tyler’s daughter and his responsibility. After the girl died, they kept the girl’s body in a duffel bag in a closet while Tyler researched where to dispose of the body.
The Andersons drove from Reno to Sacramento and stored the body in a friend’s storage unit. That friend, Joe Garcia, called police after he became suspicious and opened the drum to find the body.
The Sun reported that Averyauna Anderson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, and Tyler Anderson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
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[Feature Photo: Cali Anderson/Handout]
