Taquesta Graham charged with homicide after the body of her 9 year old daughter found in duffel bag. Charges follow that of her boyfriend, Emiel Hunt.
California authorities on Monday announced arresting a woman on suspicion of murder after the body of her 9-year-old daughter was found in a duffel bag along a suburban horse trail near Los Angeles.
Taquesta Graham, 28, is expected to be charged with the murder of Trinity Love Jones, Wednesday, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.
Prosecutors last week charged Graham’s boyfriend, Emiel Hunt, with murder in the killing of Trinity.
The dead girl was found March 5 at the bottom of an embankment in the suburb of Hacienda Heights. She was wearing pants with a panda pattern and a pink shirt that said, ‘Future Princess Hero.’
There were no obvious signs of trauma on her body. Authorities have not revealed a cause of death or motive CBS Los Angeles reported.
Graham was extradited from Texas to California last week and was initially held on an unrelated warrant. Come Monday, Graham was taken into custody in relation to Trinity’s death.
Graham’s boyfriend, Hunt, 38, has a previous child abuse conviction from 2005 in San Diego County, according to prosecutors. His arraignment is scheduled for April 16. He remains jailed in lieu of $2 million bail.
If convicted, Hunt faces a sentence of up to 50 years to life in state prison.
Taquesta Graham, Emiel Hunt living homeless days before discovery of Trinity’s body.
Of note, investigators told of Graham, Hunt and Jones having moved from a family member’s home in Long Beach in May 2018, and during the past 10 months, with their extended family having limited contact with them.
They were homeless just prior to the girl’s death and were living in a Santa Fe Springs motel or in their vehicle, officials said.
Investigators announced earlier that they believed Trinity’s body had been left along the equestrian trail within 48 hours of being found, but since then they have come to believe she had been left at the scene during the afternoon of March 1, according to the sheriff’s department.
Jones’ father, Antonio- who didn’t have custody of his daughter, posted a 22-minute video on Facebook, expressing his frustration.
‘She can’t tell me how much she loves me, she can’t tell me how much she miss me,’ he said.
Friends and family members described Trinity as a joyful and talented girl who did well in school. A memorial near where her body was found featured stuffed animals, heart-shaped balloons, dozens of votive candles and notes expressing love for Trinity and one that said ‘Rest in heaven, Princess.’
Not immediately understood is what led to Trinity’s mother discarding her daughter’s body and what assistance the mother- if any- may have sought for her daughter prior to her death.