Detectives arrested a Northwest Arkansas couple Wednesday in Rancho Cordova, Calif., in the death of a 3-year-old girl, according to police.
A police officer noticed Angela Phakhin, 27, and Untwan Smith, 46, near a white Toyota RAV4 parked the wrong way on Rod Beaudry Drive about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to a news release.
Officers searched the vehicle and found the child dead under blankets in the back seat.
There were no obvious signs of trauma, and the Sacramento County coroner's office is working to determine the cause of death, sheriff's office spokesman Sgt. Tony Turnbull said.
Phakhin and Smith also face conspiracy allegations. They were being held Thursday in the Sacramento County main jail with bail set at $1 million. They are scheduled to be arraigned today in Sacramento Superior Court.
The Sacramento County district attorney's office will not file charges until the suspects' arraignments, spokesman Shelly Orio said.
Detectives believe Phakhin and Smith arrived in California in February and have been living with the child in the car throughout the city and county, reports said.
The last known address for Smith is 5439 W. Clevenger Drive in Fayetteville, according to an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The most recent address for Phakhin is 1397 Austin St. in Springdale, according to a court document.
Smith is named in an arrest warrant out of Prairie Grove District Court in connection with several 2016 misdemeanors. He was convicted of terroristic threatening and possession of a firearm by a felon in Washington County Circuit Court in 2003.
Metro on 06/30/2017