Indiana woman allegedly strangled 10-year-old stepdaughter to death in fight over charm bracelet

An Indiana woman accused of strangling her stepdaughter to death allegedly killed her during an argument over a charm bracelet the girl had taken from one of her siblings, according to court documents obtained by People.

Amanda Carmack, 34, reportedly walked into the Gas City Police Department at 12:10 a.m. on Sept. 4 and confessed to investigators that she killed 10-year-old Skylea Carmack.

While Carmack said she could not remember all the details of the murder, she did allegedly tell detectives "she was very angry" about the bracelet incident and that she recalled being on top of the child when the strangling took place.

"She started choking her with her hands then she thinks she tied something around her neck," a probable cause affidavit states.

A pair of colorful pants was found tied tightly around Skylea's neck when her body was located. Following her stepmother's confession, she was found inside a trash bag in a shed behind the family's Gas City, Ind., home on Sept. 4, WXIN reports.

An autopsy later confirmed the girl's cause of death was asphyxia by strangulation and her manner of death was ruled a homicide.

Carmack herself reported the victim missing to police on Aug. 31, claiming she had vanished while on a daytime outing with the suspect and six other children while Skylea's father, Kevin Carmack, was at work. Three of the youths were identified as Carmack's children, the other three of whom are said to belong to Carmack's brother.

Authorities who interviewed the six children said they identified the suspect as a "strict disciplinarian" who would physically abuse them with a belt and sometimes force them to stand against a wall with their hands in the air for hours if they misbehaved.

Carmack faces charges of murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death, domestic battery resulting in death and strangulation, all of which are felonies, in relation to the girl's slaying. If Carmack is convicted, prosecutors say they intend to seek a life sentence.