The parents of Zaela Walker, a missing 3-year-old from North Las Vegas, were being held without bail after a Monday morning court appearance.
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Parents of missing North Las Vegas girl charged with murder, held without bail
The parents of Zaela Walker, a missing 3-year-old from North Las Vegas, were being held without bail after a Monday morning court appearance.
The couple was charged in her murder on Friday, according to the North Las Vegas Police Department and court records.
Zaela’s mother Lakeia Walker, 27 was booked in jail Friday, CCDC said. Her father Ricky Beasley, also 27, had a murder charge added and was re-booked, as he was already in custody for kidnapping a child and for stealing a car.
Authorities did not say whether the murder charges were connected to Zaela, who had been missing for seven months.
According to an arrest report filed in the case, Beasley was watching Zaela at his home Aug. 21.
About 11:30 p.m. or midnight, Beasley’s mother was sleeping in her room, which shares a wall with Beasley’s bedroom, the arrest report said. She was awakened by a loud thud from Beasley’s room. She got up and met Beasley in the hallway, where he was holding Zaela, who was crying. He said Zaela had just urinated all over herself and he had gotten angry and thrown a cot against the wall, causing the thud.
After giving this explanation, Beasley took Zaela into the bathroom to give her a shower, the report said. That would be the last time anyone other than Beasley or Walker would see Zaela.
On the afternoon of Aug. 22, Beasley searched Google for information on how to stop seizures in children, even though none of his children have a history of seizures, according to the report. One of the search results suggested marijuana can be used to stop seizures.
About 6:11 p.m. that day, Beasley purchased a pre-rolled marijuana cigarette at the Reef Marijuana Dispensary.
At that point, Beasley is alleged to have met with Lakeia at Craig Ranch Park, where they are suspected of abandoning their iPhones, identification and bank cards.
They allegedly drove just off Kyle Canyon Road, then to Southern California, without contacting family or friends. In the next several weeks, Beasley and Lakeia were believed to have traveled up and down California, and through Illinois, West Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and Texas.
The toddler was never seen with them, police said.
