Texas Woman Dumps 1-Year-Old Daughter’s Body In Lake, Carries Around Doll To Hide Crime

A Texas woman, who dumped her 1-year-old daughter's body into a lake and carried around a life-sized doll to hide the crime, was sentenced to 20 years in jail.

A Galveston County jury found 23-year-old Tiaundra Christon was guilty of tampering with a human corpse. Christon was fined $10,000 for the crime, Galveston County Daily News reported.

On Oct. 19, 2018, Christon and her boyfriend Kenny Hewett beat 1-year-old Hazana Anderson for crying during their stay at a hotel in Houston, following which the child died, the arrest affidavit said.

On finding the child lifeless, Christon and Hewett left her body in their car for days before dumping it in Moses Lake in Texas City, 25 News reported.

After Christon returned to her home in College Station, her friends saw glimpses of her with a child, whom they believed to be Hazana. Footage from Walmart too showed Christon carrying a "child."

On Oct. 28, she called 911, claiming her daughter went missing from Gabbard park. Detective Robert Wilson of the College Station Police Department and Texas Ranger Josh Ray initiated a massive search, which saw over 163 people participating.

However, the police got the first clue of the incident when they discovered a life-sized doll wearing clothes identical to Hazana's in a trashcan across the street from where Christon parked her car, the news outlet reported.

Further investigation revealed Christon had been carrying the doll, pretending it was her child. She later confessed to the abuse at the hotel room, and Hazana's body was retrieved from the lake, 25 News reported.

During the trial, which began on Dec. 8, Christon pleaded not guilty to her charge of tampering with a human corpse. Hewett pleaded guilty to the same charge in November 2019 and was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison.

The court heard members of the College Station Police Department, ranger Josh Ray and Christon’s father during the trial.

Christon will be eligible for parole in five years as under Texas law, she will be required to serve at least 25% of her sentence before she can apply for it.