WESTON, W.Va. — It’s been 10 years since 3 year old Aliayah Lunsford disappeared from her Lewis County home.
The toddler was reported missing on Sept. 24, 2011. To this day, her body has still not been found.
Aliayah’s mother, Lena Lunsford Conway, was convicted of murder, child abuse and concealment of a deceased body in July 2018. She is currently serving a lifetime prison sentence without the possibility of parole.
The state Supreme Court of Appeals denied a request to re-evaluate Conway’s conviction in July 2020.
Lunsford’s two daughters said in court testimonies that she struck Aliayah in the head with a wooden bed slat and that she attempted CPR on Aliayah with no success. They testified that Lunsford disposed of the toddler’s body in a rural area.
Craig Cole, the adoptive father of Lunsford’s six remaining children, was relieved to see Lunsford dealt the maximum sentence.
“It’s been a long journey for our family, and we’re just really glad to have it finished and be able to officially put this behind us,” Cole said during sentencing in 2018. “I’m very relieved to know that Lena will never be able to do harm to another child again.”
Cole started the Aliayah Lunsford Foundation in 2018 in hopes of ensuring that Aliayah is never forgotten.
Previous “Walk for Hope” events in Hampshire and Lewis counties raised money for Aliayah Lunsford College Scholarships “for foster kids, adopted kids, disadvantaged kids and also children of law enforcement.”
“Law enforcement was such a huge part of our story for the last few years, and I want to pay back some of those families as well,” Cole previously told MetroNews.
Another area of success has been with starting “Aliayah’s Farm.”
The family currently owns two horses on 2.5 acres of land, with the hope of offering free equine therapy to assist children to cope with the stress of being in foster care or adoption systems.