Johni Michelle Heuser Charged with Murder of Baby Daughter Found Dead in Attic
In Spring Lake, North Carolina, Johni Michelle Heuser, 25, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 11-month-old daughter, Harmony Jude Creech. At first, the little girl was was reported missing by her grandmother – and an Amber Alert was released - after the girl’s father, Sgt. Ronald Earl Creech II, stopped by to see her. He had just returned that morning from Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division.
Police said that Heuser had made it look like someone had broken in and taken the child. However, they were suspicious. After being questioned by the sherriff’s department, Heuser was arrested. She finally admitted to finding the baby dead in her crib and then hiding it. Harmony’s skeletal remains were found in the attic the next day wrapped in plastic and stuffed in a diaper box. The body will be autopsied to determine the cause of death.
As part of the investigation, the sheriff’s department seized an Xbox game system, cell phone, computer, a disposable camera, baby clothing in a trash bag or box, financial documents, food receipts, baby bottles, a diaper bag, a pipe, and directions to the landfill. There are reports that Heuser was playing Xbox Live while neglecting her kids. (She has three other children by a previous relationship. All been placed in foster care.)
