The toddler had disappeared from a birthday party in Alabama.
A toddler whose body was found in a dumpster after she disappeared from a birthday party was killed by suffocation, according to authorities.
Three-year-old Kamille "Cupcake" McKinney of Alabama was abducted on Oct. 12. More than a week later, as authorities canvassed her neighborhood, her body was found in a trash bin at a Birmingham landfill.
How she was killed was disclosed Friday during a hearing for the man and woman charged with killing her. Patrick Stallworth and Derick Brown have each been charged with capital murder in the child's death.
"I don't understand how I'm being charged with the murder of this child," Stallworth said in court.
The little girl was asphyxiated on the day she disappeared, according to documents read aloud during the hearing. She was taken from an outdoor party at a Birmingham house. Her mother and other relatives were also there.
Ten days later, her body was found in the dumpster.
At a news conference held last week, Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith said he did not think the couple knew the toddler or her family.
Her killing, he said, was something the suspects "thought about and acted upon."
They "saw an opportunity to take a young child, which they did," Smith told reporters.
Stallworth and Brown are being held without bail. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 4. Lawyers for both Stallworth and Brown say they are innocent, according to USA Today.
Kamille was buried on Sunday following a packed church funeral. Her tiny white casket was festooned with purple and pink flowers.
"Even though it may be sad here for us ... not having her here and needing here, God has gained an angel in his kingdom," the child's uncle, Steven Long, told mourners.
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