HARRISBURG — A northeast Arkansas woman is accused of killing her infant daughter by putting her scalding water and then into a dryer.
The Jonesboro Sun reported that authorities arrested 25-year-old Tyra Neal this week on charges of second-degree murder and abuse of a corpse after investigators found her 1-month-old child in a dryer.
Poinsett County Detective William Holmes said at a Thursday probable cause hearing that Neal initially told investigators a 2-year-old placed the baby in the dryer. He said Neal later told authorities that she may have placed the child in scalding water because the infant had diarrhea and that Neal became scared and put the child in the dryer.
A judge appointed a public defender to Neal and issued a $1 million cash-only bond. She'll appear in court July 31.
