CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, S.C. — A Chesterfield County woman charged with murder after her 11-month-old daughter was found dead inside a box last month will face a judge Wednesday.
Police said Breanna Lewis told them her 11-month-old, Harlee Lane Lewis, was kidnapped, which prompted an Amber Alert. Investigators said she was lying after they found the baby's body in a box near her home on May 29.
Lewis, 19, is charged with homicide by child abuse in the death of her daughter.
Channel 9 got a hold of the arrest warrant for Lewis and while it does not list a cause of death for the child, it does say Breanna "inflicted injuries about the body of her 11-month-old daughter that were non-accidental."
Deputies said the child’s body was found inside the box, wrapped in a plastic bag.
On a quiet corner, surrounded by farmland, sits a small family cemetery. Outside the fence is a colorful memorial to Harlee that continues to grow. Some neighbors drive past it every day.
"I thought it was real, real good of people thinking so much of the child, that they would show their love, for this baby," neighbor Peggy Davis said.
Investigators still haven’t said exactly how the girl died. The arrest warrant said the murder charge was added because of physical evidence and pathological findings.
Channel 9 contacted the coroner’s office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, but they said they could not release a cause of death because of the gag order.
Lewis was originally charged with filing a false police report and improper disposal of human remains.
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