A motive for the killing has not been released. (Representational Image)
A woman from Louisiana is accused of killing her boyfriend's 6-year-old daughter before stuffing the child's body into a plastic bucket and dumping it outside the home of the girl's mother, according to FOX News.
The woman, Bunnak Landon, 43, has been arrested without bond in a New Orlean suburb, authorities told the news portal. According to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, she was booked on Wednesday on charges of first-degree murder and obstruction of justice in connection with the death of Bella Fontenelle.
According to a news release, the police were first notified of the disappearances of both Bella and Landon on Wednesday morning, after Bella's father noticed that the pair was not at Harahan, LA home.
After 1 hour, the authorities found Bella's body in a large bucket outside her mother's lawn.
"When they opened up the bucket, they found the 6-year-old deceased," Sheriff Joseph Lopinto told the Advocate.
Horrifying footage of Landon carting a bucket containing the body of her boyfriend's slain 6-year-old daughter has also surfaced.
The New Orleans Advocate reported that Bella was beaten and strangled.
The accused lived with Bella's dad and little sister on Donelon Drive, according to New York Post.
Mr Lopinto said that neither of Bella's biological parents is believed to have been involved in the killing.
The cause of death is said to be "manual strangulation along with blunt force injuries to the head."
A motive for the killing has not been released.