GUILTY IN - Skylea Carmack, 10, Gas City, Grant County, 31 Aug 2019 *stepmom arrested* *appeal filed 2022*

[kay74]

the next door neighbour had no idea 6 + kids were living there.
with home schooling, no play time/equipment outside......sounds like they were imprisoned.

imo

UNREAL. 7 kids in that little house and she didn't know that!

 

[kay74]

and what she did has no

May be a matter of no money for an attorney[/B]

w hit home.
Can a person really represent themselves in a capital murder case? Seems that is a set up for an appeal of poor representation.

BBMWell she would be given a public defender.

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

I've added today's updates (and the obit).

Skylea Carmack Case Archive:
Skylea Carmack -IN- by amanda reckonwith

 

[borndem]

Just joining this thread -- I just saw this article below, so I came to WS to see if it was here. Please forgive if this article is a repeat.

Stepmom Says She Was 'Very Angry' When She Allegedly Strangled Indiana Girl in Fight Over Bracelet

Police allege Skylea Carmack was reported missing by the woman accused of killing her

By Chris Harris
September 09, 2019 02:03 PM

An Indiana woman accused of strangling her stepdaughter allegedly told police she was “very angry” at the girl following an argument over a charm bracelet, according to new court documents obtained by PEOPLE.


A probable cause affidavit filed on Friday alleges Amanda Carmack, 34, confessed to the killing, but could not explain why she’d killed her 10-year-old stepdaughter Skylea Carmack.
[...]
According to police, Carmack reported Skylea missing on Sept. 1. Days later, she allegedly walked into a police station, and confessed to the crime.

Her body was found later in a plastic garbage bag, placed inside a shed on the family’s Gas City property.

Stepmom Says She Was 'Very Angry' When She Strangled 10-Year-Old Indiana Girl in Fight Over Bracelet

 

[borndem]

=============================================
Welcome to Websleuths,
TimesEight !
=============================================

​

I hate that we know the outcome almost from the minute the story hits WS. I absolutely hate that we were right.

I knew this was the way we were headed.

(Still running behind on this thread...)
Yes, we essentially knew where our train was heading...
My throat was tight as I read each entry here on WS. Whether she willingly went somewhere with somebody, whether she was kidnapped while she was walking down the street -- although now we know she more than likely didn't walk down a single street the whole time she was missing -- or whether she needed meds and did not have them, or if she had been hurt by a stranger or by a family member, we knew we would lose, or already had lost, her.
Just dammit.

 

[squareandrabbet]

Stepmom Says She Was 'Very Angry' When She Strangled 10-Year-Old Indiana Girl in Fight Over Bracelet

I can't find anything to say that won't land me in WS jail, I regret to report; but if I could, it goes something like "Oh, boo hoo hoo, you psychotic blankety-blank!" Seriously???

Should've just kept her mouth shut, as I assure her/the press, no one cares!!!

ETA: Oh, forgot to mention: I couldn't have been happier to see that she's determined to defend herself.

Could. Not. Be. Happier.

 

[borndem]

I'm worried that few actually cared. From what I'm seeing most of the adults sympathized with Amanda and loathed that poor little girl. Her bio mom for one. Other people talking about how this poor murdered child was a liar and a thief.

Grandma is interviewed saying she saw Sky losing weight, her son said Amanda was mean and grandma wasn't allowed inside anymore.

No calls to CPS and no demands to go inside or take the child.

I feel hopeless thinking about the life of that child. If she was lying, stealing and running away it's because she had been devastated by abuse and neglect and hatred.

It's scary to think how many other kids are suffering a similar fate right now as the family scapegoat and punching bag.

bbm
Indeed. The only way I see an end to this and other child abuse situations is for the entire world to stop spinning.
Sad to say it, but that's the way I see it.

 

[squareandrabbet]

bbm
Indeed. The only way I see an end to this and other child abuse situations is for the entire world to stop spinning.
Sad to say it, but that's the way I see it.

Or, to spread the word of "if you see something, say something".

It's pretty clear that nobody wanted to face the Wrath of the Stepmonster in this situation; but Grandma owed Skylar better than to just meekly say "OK, fine" to whatever Amanda insisted upon. It's like episodes of "Hoarders" I watched, where the hoarding parties had friends and family members visit (on the porch, natch), and would tell them they had to go home and use their own bathroom; after which point the family members meekly agreed, and toddled on home without saying "WTF, man? Let me into your dang house." The hoarders could have been hiding a crack den, for all these family members knew.

An entire system failed Skylar and all her siblings. Call in an anonymous tip about a suspected crack house, or something!

 

[gregjrichards]

I think Monster will end up taking a plea deal for LWOP I don’t see getting a sentence with parole as a viable option for her given the overwhelming evidence against her.

 

[oviedo]

I think Monster will end up taking a plea deal for LWOP I don’t see getting a sentence with parole as a viable option for her given the overwhelming evidence against her.

I don't know - it seems to me I get a sense of arrogance about her - like she was entitled to hurt this child because of her perceived "misbehavior" IMO. I guess we will find out - but it just seems to me many of the adults around should have noticed something? JMO

 

[YESorNO]

Grandma of girl allegedly murdered by stepmom saw troubling signs (with clip)

SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

"GAS CITY, Ind. — Skylea Carmack’s grandmother has a warning to anyone who may be seeing signs a child isn’t getting proper treatment.

Brenda Helmuth is the mother of Skylea’s father, Kevin Carmack. She is filled with regret after learning her grandchild was murdered Saturday.

Indiana police believe Skylea was killed by her stepmother, Amanda Carmack, according to WXIN. Helmuth said Amanda didn’t allow her to see Skylea very often but when she did, Helmuth had concerns. Now, she regrets staying quiet about them.

“I’ve always said that there was something wrong,” Helmuth said.

Helmuth said she didn’t know what to do about it at the time...."

Grandma of girl allegedly murdered by stepmom saw troubling signs

 

[Rosiebones]

UNREAL. 7 kids in that little house and she didn't know that!

Its possible that she knew there were kids there but not how many. Three of the children were 10 yo girls, they may all have looked alike to her.
The neighbors of the Turpin family didn't know that there were 17 (I think) living there.
AC was a violent woman and I bet those kids didn't make a peep when they were in there with her.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Sitting on hands.

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

Some misconceptions...

The home is large. The front section was originally tiny but has a back 2-story addition.
However, the inside (from her fb posts) was in disrepair and cluttered.

News identified the neighbor Ashley as her next-door neighbor, but she is actually a block away....
I wouldn't expect that she'd know who/how many lived there. She is also a reporter for WMTV;
she and her husband organized searches, she held the candlelight vigil with WMTV crew.
The actual next-door neighbor knew the kids.

Richarh of WMTV, WMTV Channel 27, Marion ,was in court and watched Amanda's body language, facial expressions...
he said she seemed defeated and he expected her to just plead guilty.

 

[Butterfly_Rises]

Just joining this thread -- I just saw this article below, so I came to WS to see if it was here. Please forgive if this article is a repeat.



Stepmom Says She Was 'Very Angry' When She Strangled 10-Year-Old Indiana Girl in Fight Over Bracelet

My opinion:

This is weak and pathetic. This child, along with other siblings, were very likely systematically, progressively, abused, escalating over time. You don't go from normal, stable parent to a murderous monster in seconds.

 

[Steph8angels]

Grandma of girl allegedly murdered by stepmom saw troubling signs (with clip)

SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

"GAS CITY, Ind. — Skylea Carmack’s grandmother has a warning to anyone who may be seeing signs a child isn’t getting proper treatment.

Brenda Helmuth is the mother of Skylea’s father, Kevin Carmack. She is filled with regret after learning her grandchild was murdered Saturday.

Indiana police believe Skylea was killed by her stepmother, Amanda Carmack, according to WXIN. Helmuth said Amanda didn’t allow her to see Skylea very often but when she did, Helmuth had concerns. Now, she regrets staying quiet about them.

“I’ve always said that there was something wrong,” Helmuth said.

Helmuth said she didn’t know what to do about it at the time...."

Grandma of girl allegedly murdered by stepmom saw troubling signs

NO EXCUSES NO EXCUSES NO EXCUSES!!! In this tragic case.
Skylea's life mattered beyond adults needs and wants. Seems stepmonster was put in charge and in THIS CASE SHOULD RECIEVE MAX CHARGE!!!

MOO
This is the part I do not understand.
Family and neighbors coming out to speak out after the fact and the innocent child is deceased.
Not blaming anyone just wish people would get involved sooner than later.
This Woman is a murdering BULLY TO CHILDREN. JMO

 

[kay74]

Can you imagine how scared this thin little girl felt when she had to go into that shed with big mama.

 

[borndem]

Or, to spread the word of "if you see something, say something".

It's pretty clear that nobody wanted to face the Wrath of the Stepmonster in this situation; but Grandma owed Skylar better than to just meekly say "OK, fine" to whatever Amanda insisted upon. It's like episodes of "Hoarders" I watched, where the hoarding parties had friends and family members visit (on the porch, natch), and would tell them they had to go home and use their own bathroom; after which point the family members meekly agreed, and toddled on home without saying "WTF, man? Let me into your dang house." The hoarders could have been hiding a crack den, for all these family members knew.

An entire system failed Skylar and all her siblings. Call in an anonymous tip about a suspected crack house, or something!

You're absolutely right, @squareandrabbet. I guess I'm just so disappointed and pessimistic about all of this...
People are so paranoid about retaliation, possibly being in the news, or the "I still have to live next door to them," fear, etc., it makes them shy away from doing what they know is right, and knowing that there is something wrong in that house. Maybe they don't believe that an anonymous tip line is really anonymous; maybe they're just lazy, who knoze?
If "saying something" increased even 10%, some children or spouses might live to see more days, or live more days without fear or pain or death.
Thanks for your post.

 

[MsMarple]

My opinion:

This is weak and pathetic. This child, along with other siblings, were very likely systematically, progressively, abused, escalating over time. You don't go from normal, stable parent to a murderous monster in seconds.

100% agree! This whole idea of someone "snapping" out of the blue, as if one isolated incident drove them to harm a person is way out of proportion. IMO "snapping," at least in cases where the victim is fatally harmed, is a result of long-simmering rage that happens more often than not to people with no insight, poor reasoning skills and a skewed sense of who they are. This woman is no exception.

There's a huge difference between being driven to a point that causes one to lash out in a minor (and maybe regrettable) way and murdering the object of frustration. If Carmack is saying she killed Skylea over a bracelet then I call BS on her. She didn't slap her in the face or spank her, she spent minutes - *minutes* - strangling her with the pants. She had more than enough time to step back and stop.

I don't care what Skylea supposedly did to cause Carmack such anger and frustration, even if it was a series of perceived acts of disobedience. IMO Carmack felt "entitled" to discipline Skylea in bizarre and inappropriate ways. IMO that's the work of someone who has zero empathy for others.

I'm waiting for the motion for a mental evaluation. I say go for it; if Carmack was able to run a household, homeschool all those kids and present as nothing more than a strict disciplinarian <cough cough> then that's just evil behavior in my eyes, not mental illness. MOO. Bah.

 

[Kittybunny]

Nothing says crazy narcissist like being your own lawyer!

Good luck with that.

Also some of her behaviors remind me of the two moms that drove themselves and adopted kids off the cliff into the ocean ( in Oregon?)