The mother of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis whose body was found by a roadside in Sanford, NC today made her first appearance in court.
Police arrested Antoinette Nicole Davis, 25, on Friday and charged her with child abuse involving prostitution, among other charges. She is accused of selling her child into prostitution.
Davis entered the courtroom inside the Cumberland County Detention Center wearing a beige prison jumpsuit. She appeared timid and nervously licked her lips while the judge read the formal charges. Davis showed no emotion as she rolled her eyes and slowly answered “yeah” and “yes” when asked if she understood the charges against her.
At one point, a woman standing near Davis attempted to waive the reading of the formal charges. But the judge overruled the request, saying he felt obligated to read the charges “under these circumstances.” Davis learned she could face up to 40 years on the charges. She is currently being held on $51,000 bond.
Davis reported her daughter missing around 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from a mobile home community where she was staying. Police arrested Mario Andrette McNeil, 29, after receiving a tip that he was seen with the girl in a hotel in Sanford, NC on the day she went missing.
McNeil has been extremely uncooperative with police. His attorney said he plans to plead not guilty.
Shaniya’s body was found under a patch of kudzu in the woods off Walker Road near highway 87 in Sanford on Monday. Police told reporters the child’s body would be “exhumed” from the ground before being taken to the coroner’s office to determine a cause of death.
