An Indiana woman has been transferred from a Kentucky detention facility to an Indiana county jail to face multiple new criminal charges in connection with the death of her partner’s 9-year-old child, whose remains were discovered inside a storage unit.
The defendant, 30-year-old C. Potter, is charged in Indiana with nine counts, including neglect of a dependent, obstruction of justice, abuse of a corpse, and failure to report a dead body. A judge set her bond at $1 million, or $100,000 cash, and she entered a not guilty plea during a video court appearance following her transfer.
Potter had already been convicted in Kentucky in December 2024 on related charges, including complicity in criminal abuse, tampering with physical evidence, and abuse of a corpse, stemming from her role in the death of 9-year-old Alianna. She received a multi-year prison sentence in that case and still has several years remaining to serve.
The investigation began nearly four years ago when the child was reported missing in November 2021, after relatives became concerned about her prolonged absence. During the missing-person investigation, Kentucky sheriff’s deputies were told by one of the victim’s siblings that the child had died at the family’s Indiana home and that her remains had been moved.
That information led authorities to a storage facility in Kentucky, where deputies executed a search warrant and discovered severely decomposed human remains wrapped in blankets and placed inside a large plastic container. The remains were later confirmed to be those of the missing child.
Investigators reconstructed the circumstances surrounding the child’s death by interviewing surviving children from the household. Multiple children described chronic abuse, starvation, and confinement, alleging that Potter and her then-partner, J. Alvarez, repeatedly hit, strangled, and withheld food from the man’s three children from a prior relationship.
One child told investigators that their mother never fed the victim, describing her as “very, very skinny,” and stated they believed the child died from mistreatment and malnutrition. Another sibling reported that after the child stopped breathing, both adults wrapped her body and placed it in a storage container.
The children also told authorities that Potter’s own two biological children were treated differently and were not subjected to the same abuse. Investigators described the interviews as deeply disturbing, noting the vulnerability of the victims. Police Sgt. Ausieker said cases like this “stick with you forever.”
Kentucky State Police interviewed both adults. The victim’s father admitted the child became unresponsive and said he attempted CPR but feared contacting Indiana authorities because he believed he would face criminal consequences. Potter also told investigators she found the child unresponsive and attempted CPR before helping conceal the body.
In Kentucky, Potter ultimately pleaded guilty to abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and criminal abuse of a child. The victim’s father also pleaded guilty to abuse of a corpse and evidence tampering and was sentenced. Indiana prosecutors have not yet pursued additional charges against him in the state.