COLUMBIA − Columbia Police announced Tuesday arrests have been made in connection to an infant found dead in August 2019 near McKnight Tire.
Columbia police identified Samone J. Daniels as the victim. She was 4 to 5 months old at the time of her death and her remains had been inside a tire since 2017, according to CPD.
Police Chief Geoff Jones was visibly emotional when he read Samone's name.
"Our number one goal was to give this child a name and honor her memory," Jones said. "That's happened today."
CPD says Samone's parents were arrested in connection to her death.
Staffone Fountain, 30, of St. Joseph, is charged with first-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse. He was arrested by the St. Joseph Police Department and is in their custody without bond.
Lavosha Daniels, 28, of St. Louis, is charged with abandonment of a corpse and first-degree endangerment of a child. She was arrested by US Marshals in St. Louis. CPD was not able to confirm her location, only that she is in custody without bond.
On Aug. 15, 2019, employees of McKnight Tire called police after they found a small backpack inside a tire that contained decomposed remains of an infant, according to officers.
Police called the infant "Baby Doe" since the discovery after struggling to identify the remains. Authorities called on the community for help in solving the case.
On June 14, 2022, Columbia Police were made aware of a letter found at a local Super 8 motel. They determined it was written by Samone's mother, Lavosha, and included information which identified herself, Staffone and Samone.
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The community member who brought the letter to the police did not wish to be identified and was reportedly discouraged from coming forward by others, police said.
"We also are indebted to the community," Jones said. "They reported the incident in 2019. Because this stuck in Columbia’s memory, a letter came to our attention. Samone had a lot of people pulling for her."
CPD also said the homicide was committed at a Redroof Inn and that Samone's cause of death has yet to be determined.
The preliminary autopsy could not determine any identifying information about Samone, and a third party forensic genealogist was brought in to assist with the investigation.
Jones said he was thankful for all the other agencies that supported the investigation, including the St. Louis Police Department, the St. Joseph Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Missouri Department of Social Services, Boone County Children’s Division, Boone County Prosecutor and the forensic genealogists at Othram labs.
CPD also announced the involvement of other children in the investigation. They confirmed that their whereabouts are known, and they are safe.