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Left-Right: Latasha Mott, Corrice Parks (WSYR).
The woman accused of killing her 5-year-old daughter and hiding the girl’s body in a wooded area in central New York had done some “suspicious” internet searches that raised investigators’ eyebrows, according to a detective on the case.
Latasha Mott, 30, is charged with murder and concealing a corpse in the 2024 death of 5-year-old Nefertiti Harris. According to media reports, Mott is alleged to have beaten Nefertiti to death with a belt while the girl was in the shower on Jan. 6, 2024, in Syracuse. She then allegedly hid the girl’s remains in a field.
Mott’s boyfriend, 28-year-old Corrice Parks, is charged with allegedly helping hide the little girl’s body.
It reportedly took two months for other family members to notice that the girl was missing, according to local ABC affiliate WSYR. Her body was ultimately discovered on March 26, 2024.
More from Law&Crime: Family of pregnant 16-year-old found her body in woods with cellphone tracking app, 20-year-old father of baby charged with murder
At a hearing in Onondaga County Court on Wednesday, a detective testified that during the investigation into Nefertiti’s disappearance, a search of Mott’s phone yielded disturbing results.
“I believe it was ‘Why do killers hide kids’ bodies?’ and ‘Do bodies smell in the winter?”” said the detective, whose identity was not publicly revealed.
“It was suspicious and caused concern,” the detective added.
Mott’s defense lawyers have argued that the cellphone search results shouldn’t be admitted into evidence because, at the time, investigators may have thought they were interviewing a possible murder suspect without a lawyer, rather than a worried mother hoping to find her daughter.
The testifying detective said that when the searches were discovered, he still held the opinion that they would find Nefertiti alive and safe.
Online sheriff’s office records indicate that Mott’s next scheduled court appearance is April 5, when it’s expected Parks’ alleged comments to the police will be scrutinized.
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