OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — An Osceola County woman was charged Friday with first-degree premeditated murder and kidnapping in the death of her mother.
Detectives said Amy Day did not cooperate with the investigation and provided false, inconsistent statements to investigators when her mother, Ora “Lea” Hawkins, was reported missing by her other daughter on Sunday.
Day was arrested Tuesday on charges of providing false information to law enforcement.
Raw: Search for missing Osceola County woman
Detectives said Day did not help in their investigation and lied about being on a trip to Gainesville to visit her boyfriend at the time her 79-year-old mother disappeared.
She also told detectives her mother was going on a vacation.
“Amy told us that her mother had indicated in a phone conversation that she was going to Colorado with a friend named Rose,” said Twis Lizasuain, of the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators found Hawkins' body in the backyard flower garden of her home on Lake Shore Drive in St. Cloud soon after she was reported missing.
Hawkins’ car was still in her driveway when deputies arrived to investigate, and her cellphone was turned off.
“We believe she did think this through and possibly held her mother against her will,” said Lizasuain.
Hawkins’ body was found in a shallow grave.
Detectives wouldn’t reveal many details about the alleged homicide.
Day is being held in jail without bond. She’s expected to appear before a judge within a couple days.
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