North Las Vegas mother indicted in missing 3-year-old’s death
A North Las Vegas mother was indicted Wednesday on a murder charge in connection with the death of her missing 3-year-old daughter.
Authorities said they listened to jail phone calls in which Lakeia Walker spoke with with Ricky Beasley, the father of Zaela Walker, who was reported missing Aug. 25.
“They’re talking, and Lakeia mentions, she says, ‘You always say no body, no crime,’ and then they continue to talk,” North Las Vegas police Detective Paul Freeman told a grand jury, according to transcripts made public this week.
Along with murder, Beasley also is charged with one count each of first-degree kidnapping, unlawful taking of a vehicle and theft. He was arrested late last year in connection with the girl’s disappearance.
When the mother was arrested last month, she gave an unsolicited statement to police, the transcripts state.
“So you all are telling me that you found Zaela?” she asked the detective.
The girl’s body remains undiscovered.
Prosecutors have said Beasley “took the child” from Walker for seven days and essentially held the girl for ransom.
Zaela was first reported missing after officers were called to a home on the 4600 block of Mission Cantina Avenue, near North 5th Street and East Lone Mountain Road in North Las Vegas.
Beasley’s mother told North Las Vegas police that a loud thud woke her up late on Aug. 21, and she ran into the hallway, where she found Beasley carrying Zaela, who was crying, according to the transcripts and police reports.
It was the last time anyone other than Beasley and his girlfriend saw Zaela alive.
A search of the phones later revealed that Beasley had completed a series of Google searches that day, including “how to stop seizures in children,” the transcripts state.
The girl’s maternal grandmother, Carla Richardson, had called police on Aug. 25 to file a missing persons report.
Both Beasley and Walker are being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center.
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.
