CENTERVILLE — UPDATE: Donations are no longer needed at this time. The public's help and thoughts are appreciated. Stay tuned to the Daily Iowegian for further updates.
Dawayne Maroney, the father of slain Indiana nine-year-old, Aliahna Lemmon, is seeking donations to be able to travel to Indiana. Maroney currently lives in Centerville. Donations may be left at the Daily Iowegian office.
Donors can also contact Tracey Daugherty at (641) 895-6666 to help as well.
The tragedy has swept national headlines since Lemmon was reported missing Friday night.
A babysitter and trusted neighbor has confessed that he bludgeoned the girl to death with a brick them dismembered her, hiding her head, hands and feet at a home where he was staying and dumping the rest of her remains nearby, police said. Tuesday.
Allen County sheriff's investigators said in an affidavit that 39-year-old Michael Plumadore admits he killed Lemmon on Thursday.
According to the affidavit, Plumadore told police that after beating Aliahna to death on the front steps of the home in the early morning hours, he stuffed her body into trash bags and hid her in the freezer at the home in a rundown trailer park in Fort Wayne. He said he later chopped up her body with a hacksaw and stuffed her remains into freezer bags.
Police said Plumadore told them he had hidden Aliahna's head, feet and hands at the trailer and discarded her other remains at a nearby business. Police obtained a warrant to search the trailer on Monday and found the body parts.
Authorities didn't say Tuesday why Plumadore killed the child, but Sheriff Ken Fries said investigators suspected Plumadore was involved since soon after she was reported missing Friday night.
Investigators questioned him Friday and Saturday and he was arrested Monday after being interviewed by detectives for several hours more.
A judge ordered Plumadore was "factual" in talking with investigators, but he wouldn't describe Plumadore's demeanor.
Mike McAlexander, the Allen County chief deputy prosecutor, wouldn't say whether anyone else was suspected of being involved and said "nothing has been ruled out."
Aliahna and her two younger sisters were staying with Plumadore for about one week because their mother, Tarah Souders, had been sick with the flu.
Tom LoBianco of the Associated Press contributed to this report.
