Rhe family of a 10-year-old found dead in a trunk outside an Arizona home initially claimed the child died while playing hide-and-seek. But investigators now believe Ame Deal suffocated after her family locked her in the box because she took a popsicle from the freezer without permission. Continue reading and watch the news report after the jump.
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Phoenix police claim Deal’s grandmother, aunt and two cousins regularly subjected the child to horrific treatment, ultimately culminating in her July 12 death.
“This child died at the hands of those who were supposed to love and care for her. … This case has turned the stomachs of some of our most seasoned detectives,” said Phoenix Police spokesman Sergeant Trent Crump in a statement posted on the city’s website.
Deal’s passing was classified as a “death unknown” until July 28, according to the police press release.
But after Deal’s cousin Samantha Allen, 23, and her husband, John Allen, 23, admitted putting the child in the trunk and padlocking it, authorities charged the couple with first degree murder.
John Allen was allegedly angry with Deal because she had taken a popsicle from the freezer.
