Tyler Anderson, left, and Averyauna Anderson were arrested Wednesday on charges related to the death of Tyler's 5-year-old daughter, police said. (Sacramento Police Department; Washoe County Jail)
The discovery of a 5-year-old girl's body inside a storage unit in Sacramento last week led to the arrests of her father and stepmother, and prompted a joint investigation by police in California and Nevada.
Before transporting little Cali Anderson's body to the unit, the couple kept the tiny corpse stuffed inside a duffel bag in a closet for a week, authorities said.
Sacramento police linked the unit to Tyler and Averyauna Anderson, both Nevada residents, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Reno police identified the girl as Cali Anderson, who was Tyler Anderson's daughter. Leyanie Robinson, Cali's biological mother, told Sacramento's FOX 40 that Tyler Anderson had full custody of the child.
“He loved that little girl but you don’t know what people do behind closed doors.”
“It’s hard for me to believe Tyler would do anything like this or be involved in something like this,” Kevin Ward, an acquaintance of Tyler Anderson’s, told FOX 40. “He loved that little girl but you don’t know what people do behind closed doors.”
The body was discovered Tuesday night after police received a call, FOX 40 reported, adding that the manager of the storage facility said the business was "cooperating with law enforcement, 100 percent."
Cali died sometime within the last two weeks inside the Andersons' apartment, Reno police said. She showed signs of being malnourished and emaciated, according to coroner's office information in an affidavit.
The affidavit said the child became unresponsive May 4, but the couple did not call 911.
They later allegedly placed the body inside a duffel bag and kept it in a closet for a week. The couple then transported Cali’s body to Sacramento in a rented vehicle, police said.
Police arrested the Andersons on Wednesday. Tyler Anderson was booked into Sacramento's main county jail on suspicion of manslaughter, police said.
Averyauna Anderson was booked into the Washoe County Jail in Reno on child abuse charges and destroying or concealing evidence.
The investigation is continuing, authorities said.
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