NEVAEH ALLEN: Louisiana vs. Phillip Gardner & Lanaya Cardwell for 2021 murder of 2-year-old *GUILTY*

Toddler’s death ruled homicide; bond set for suspect arrested in disappearance

The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office has ruled the manner of death of Nevaeh Allen, 2, as a homicide but the exact cause of death is pending further tests.

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Search underway for 2-year-old who disappeared at apartment complex​

Detectives with the Baton Rouge Police Department are searching an apartment complex for a missing toddler on Friday, Sept. 24.

Neveah Allen, 2, was last seen around noon at an apartment complex on West La Belle Avenue, which is off Florida Boulevard, according to BRPD.

Helicopters are assisting in the search.

According to Lanaya Cardwell the mother of the Neveah, she was at work when she got a call the baby wandered off from the apartment.

Cardwell says the baby was asleep on the couch for a nap when the mom’s boyfriend woke up and saw Neveah was gone.

She was last seen wearing a yellow dress with pineapples.

According to the mom, the door was left open when she left but that “she (Naveah) is not the type to wander off,” said Cardwell.








MEDIA - NEVEAH ALLEN: Missing from Baton Rouge, LA since 24 Sept 2021 - Age 2

 

[GrandmaBear]

Bail set for mother charged in connection with death of 2-year-old Nevaeh Allen

A judge set bail for Lanaya Cardwell, the mother whose charges were downgraded following the conviction of her former boyfriend for the 2021 murder of 2-year-old Nevaeh Allen.

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Bail set for mother charged in connection with death of 2-year-old Nevaeh Allen​

A judge set bail for Lanaya Cardwell, the mother whose charges were downgraded following the conviction of her former boyfriend for the 2021 murder of 2-year-old Nevaeh Allen.

The judge set Cardwell’s bail at $90,000 during a court appearance on Tuesday, January 27. She became eligible for bail once her charges were amended from second-degree murder to multiple counts related to cruelty to juveniles.

Cardwell’s release will come with conditions. She will need to wear an ankle monitor and will not be allowed to have contact with any juvenile. In addition, she will face drug tests and will be required to remain at home. According to the court, she will only be allowed to leave for medical reasons and to meet with a lawyer or supervised agent.

Cardwell pleaded not guilty to her charges on January 6, 2026.

I'm assuming she testified against him and that's why?

Not real fresh or up on this one.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Opening statements begin in Lanaya Cardwell trial

Mother accused of cruelty to juveniles in 2-year-old daughter’s death.

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Opening statements begin in Lanaya Cardwell trial​

Opening statements began Tuesday in the trial of Lanaya Cardwell, who is accused of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile that ultimately led to the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Nevaeh Allen.

Cardwell’s charges were downgraded after her boyfriend at the time of her daughter’s death was convicted of second-degree murder in 2025.

Prosecutor Kathleen Barrios Heap told jurors that FBI agents and Baton Rouge police officers became concerned when another child described an incident involving contact with Nevaeh.

“She describes that woman slapping Nevaeh, hitting her in the stomach, hitting her like a drum,” Heap said. “Baton Rouge police officers and the FBI on Saturday interview Lanaya Cardwell about that. And they are still do not know where Nevaeh is, and she has not yet been located.”

Heap said Cardwell admitted to hitting her child but denied striking her in the stomach during the Sept. 25, 2021, interview.

The prosecutor described the medical examiner’s findings regarding Nevaeh’s injuries.

“What Dr. Beau also discovers is that Nevaeh has injuries to her abdomen. She has trauma so severe that it caused a laceration of her bowels. a serious bodily injury that poses a substantial risk of death,” Heap said.

Heap explained that a laceration to the bowels would not kill someone instantly, but could seem fine initially. Without medical treatment, it would cause death from internal bleeding or infection, she said.

Defense attorney Jarvis Claiborne argued his client was unaware of what happened to her daughter.

“She didn’t have a clue that her daughter was brutalized, let alone missing,” Claiborne said.

Claiborne focused his opening statement on Cardwell’s former boyfriend, calling him a liar.

“He just lies and lies and lies and lies, that’s Phillip Gardner,” Claiborne said. “And of course he continues to lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie. He eventually admits that he took Nevaeh to Mississippi and buried her in a shallow grave. He admits that. He’s been convicted of that.”

Claiborne mentioned that Gardner was convicted after a two-week trial and called him a “convicted child killer.”

“I don’t believe my client is going to be guilty of any of those things that she’s charged with, except perhaps being guilty of choosing a bad person to live with,” Claiborne said. “I’m pretty familiar with the criminal code, in that crime is not in that book. And she’s not charged with that.”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Mother testifies in her own defense in cruelty trial

Lanaya Cardwell denies hitting toddler in stomach, says she only "popped" child's hand.

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Mother testifies in her own defense in cruelty trial​

Lanaya Cardwell testified in her own defense, continuing to deny that she hurt her child, Nevaeh Allen, and maintaining that she only popped the child on the hand during the morning interaction in question.

Cardwell is charged with second-degree cruelty to juveniles. Another witness testified on Thursday that she saw Cardwell hit Nevaeh in the stomach. When the witness first told law enforcement about that interaction in 2021, she described Cardwell hitting Nevaeh in the stomach “like a drum.”

Cardwell said in court that she “would never harm her child.” She said she took care of Gardner’s other children like her own, though they weren’t hers. When asked why another witness said she hit Nevaeh in the stomach, she said the only thing she could assume is that the witness was trying to protect her dad, the co-defendant who is already convicted of the child’s murder.

“The only thing I can assume is that she was trying to protect her; her dad is the only parent in her life at the time,” Cardwell said.

Before she testified, Cardwell was seen wiping her tears while the jury was shown the child’s autopsy photos. The photos depicted a multitude of injuries despite many objections from the defense trying to exclude the photos. Defense attorney Jarvis Claiborne said, “There are some pictures that shouldn’t be in here.”

Dr. Yen Van Vo, with the East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy, testified that the child’s cause of death was “multiple blunt force injuries” not specific to one area of her body. She testified that the child had injuries to at least 10 different areas of her body.

Dr. Vo testified that the injuries sustained to the child’s abdomen and head could have independently killed the child if untreated. It’s not clear which injury killed her, but the doctor testified that it was clear there was some impact to Nevaeh’s abdomen that required “large force.”

The state made it clear that they are charging Cardwell with second-degree cruelty to a juvenile, which means causing great bodily harm or injury to a juvenile. It’s all specifically related to what happened before Cardwell went to work and before Gardner put the 2-year-old in a suitcase and buried her in Mississippi.

The interaction allegedly started when everyone was getting ready for the day, and the toddler messed with her mother’s contact that had fallen out of her eye.

The state is focusing specifically on the abdominal injury because of another child’s forensic interview with law enforcement when Nevaeh was first reported missing, and law enforcement had not found her body yet.

Cardwell did not get emotional on the stand until the last question from her defense attorney, where she was asked to confirm that she was not able to attend Nevaeh’s funeral.

The state had two other redirect witnesses prepared for testimony, but said they did not need to be called. Judge Fred Crifasi gave jurors an option to continue or close out on Monday. In a poll, the jury decided to pick back up on Monday to allow time for closing arguments and deliberation.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Mother of toddler Nevaeh Allen convicted on cruelty-related charge in East Baton Rouge trial

A mother accused of punching her 2-year-old child in the stomach before the toddler's death was found guilty of attempted second-degree cruelty to juveniles on Monday.

www.wbrz.com

Mother of toddler Nevaeh Allen convicted on cruelty-related charge in East Baton Rouge trial​

A mother accused of punching her 2-year-old child in the stomach before the toddler's death was found guilty of attempted second-degree cruelty to juveniles on Monday.

Lanaya Cardwell originally faced a second-degree murder charge in connection with the death of her two-year-old daughter, Nevaeh Allen.


During the state's closing statements, prosecutors reminded jurors of the charge Cardwell is facing, asking them to find Cardwell guilty of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile.

Prosecutors said Gardner's daughter was not coached on what to say on the stand, adding that the child's testimony was based on her memory of the event from almost four years ago.

According to the state, while surveillance video showed Cardwell and Allen together after the alleged incident, a forensic pathologist testified earlier in the case, pointing out that the damage seen on the two-year-old's stomach may not have killed the toddler at the exact moment. The pathologist claimed that the injury would gradually become fatal.

District Attorney Hillar Moore says the verdict handed down justice.

"This is a serious verdict that carries up to 0-20 years, it's a of crime violence and the biggest thing was that this team did not let justice slip away for this woman and they made her accountable" he said.

Cardwell will remain in custody until her sentencing on May 12.