Two charged after child’s body found placed in tote, left in storage facility, officials say

DAVIESS COUNTY, Ky. (WFIE/WKYT/Gray News) - Two people in Kentucky are facing charges after a missing person complaint turned into an investigation into the death of a child whose remains were found inside a tote storage unit, authorities said.

Officials said Jose Gomez-Alvarez and his girlfriend, Cheyanne Porter, are being held on charges of tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

The child was identified 9-year-old Alianna Maya Gomez-Alvarez. WFIE reports she had been missing since November 2021.

According to a press release, deputies with the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office responded to a possible missing person complaint on Sunday.

The arrest citation states when law enforcement was on scene looking into the report, one of Alianna’s siblings told them she had died in their home in Evansville and pointed them in the direction of the storage units.

After investigating, deputies said they found human remains in a tote wrapped in a blanket, leading to the subsequent arrest of Gomez-Alvarez and Porter.

Alianna’s great aunt, Tina McStoots, talked to WKYT about Alianna’s death and shared photos from when she was younger.

“Hurt, really hurt. No words can describe the pain, I’m telling you ... I can’t,” she said.

Deputies said Alianna’s siblings weren’t well cared for.

Officials determined Alianna had died of convulsions after being locked in the basement for an extended period of time.

Deputies said Gomez-Alvarez told them he was afraid he would get in trouble if he reported the death.

The storage facility where the tote was found, Extra Space Storage, said they are working with authorities and released this statement:

“Extra Space is working with authorities to assist in the investigation in any way we can. Our facility is closed and remains closed until cleared by local authorities – we will keep in close contact with our customers. We are grateful to the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office for their work on the case. This is a tragedy for the community, and our heart is with those mourning.”

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