News 14 Carolina's Ilin Chen has more on the investigation from the Harnett County Courthouse.
Reporter Gavin MacRoberts has more on the autopsy of little Harmony Jade Creech.
LILLINGTON, N.C. -- A woman charged with killing her baby made her first court appearance Monday in Harnett County.
Johni Michelle Heuser, 25, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 11-month-old Harmony Creech.
Authorities first issued an AMBER Alert for Creech on Friday because Heuser reported her missing. She had claimed that she had last seen her baby asleep in the crib the night before.
Authorities spent most of Friday and Saturday interviewing neighbors and looking for clues. Then, over the weekend, investigators found Creech's body in the attic of their home in a Pampers box.
Authorities say Heuser then admitted to hiding the body there a few weeks ago after she had found the baby dead in her crib.
The body was sent to the medical examiner's office in Chapel Hill to determine the cause of death. The condition of the body makes determining the cause of death difficult. "In this case, you can't really refer to it as an autopsy. We have skeletal remains," said Harnett County Sheriff Larry Rollins.
Johni Michelle Heuser made her first court appearance on Monday.
Harmony's father, SGT Ronald Creech, is with the Special Troops Battalion with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team. The team came home with the 3 BCT on Friday because they were working with them in Iraq.
SGT Creech said in a statement that Harmony's mother hid the death from everyone. "Harmony's mother was good at deceiving everyone who would ask about Harmony and where she was. The stories were credible and everyone believed her. My goal for the last year was to complete my mission and return home to my children. I have returned home to a tragedy I would not wish upon any parent of any child."
Heuser's three other children have been placed in foster care. Authorities are also investigating to see if anyone knew about Harmony's death before she was reported missing.
Heuser spent the weekend in the Harnett County jail. She is being held without bond. There has been no word yet if more charges will be brought up against her.