Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney died from asphyxiation by suffocation the same day she was kidnapped from a birthday party in Birmingham, Alabama, according to reports from AL.com.
Purple and pink flowers and balloons adorned Kamille’s tiny casket at the 3-year-old’s “homegoing service” at New Beginning Christian Ministry. Colorful cupcakes and an artistic rendering of little Kamille sat alongside the white casket.
The girl’s uncle, Steven Long, reminisced about the soft voice she used when she called for “Uncle Steve.” Addressing his sister – Kamille’s mother, April Thomas – and her father, Dominic McKinney, Long said he was only a phone call away if they ever needed to talk.
“Even though it may be sad here for us … not having her here and needing her here, God has gained an angel in his kingdom,” Long told the crowd, which responded with a chorus of amens before breaking into song.
In his eulogy, Pastor Sylvester L. Wilson said he had struggled to come up with a message to share with the congregation. His own granddaughter had just celebrated her third birthday, Wilson said.
Kamille was, Wilson said, “an angel sent from heaven.”
“God came back just to get his angel,” Wilson told the congregation, “because one little baby that lived to be 3 years old could bring this whole city, this whole country, this whole world together.”
Following the service, Kamille will be buried at Elmwood Cemetery, about 12 miles away, organizer Christopher Lauren said in a Facebook post.
The service comes two days after a Jefferson County judge read the suspects’ capital murder warrants in court, which indicated the girl died from asphyxiation the same day she was kidnapped, according to reports from AL.com.
Kamille was abducted October 12 and her remains were found inside a dumpster in a landfill on Tuesday. Patrick Stallworth, 39, and Derick Brown, 29, were arrested and charged with capital murder of a victim less than 14 years of age.
Patrick Stallworth, 39, and Derick Brown, 29, were arrested and charged with capital murder of a victim younger than 14.
They are being held at Jefferson County Jail without bond, online inmate records indicate.
When asked in court if he had any questions, Stallworth told the judge: “I don’t understand why I was charged with murder of this child,” AL.com reported. The judge told him a lawyer would explain the charges to him.
The judge told him a lawyer would explain the charges, the news outlet said.
There is no connection between Brown and Stallworth and Kamille’s family, Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith said Tuesday.
A vehicle matching the description of the SUV Kamille was allegedly taken in led to police taking Brown and Stallworth into custody on October 20, authorities said.
Before they were charged with murder, both were held on charges in unrelated cases, police said.
Police said child pornography was found on Stallworth’s phone and he was charged with four counts of possession of child pornography and three counts of possession of child pornography with intent to distribute.
Stallworth was initially released from custody after posting bond, set at $500,000, but was back in jail Friday evening on the murder charge, inmate records show.
Stallworth’s attorney, Emory Anthony, said last week he didn’t know anything about the case, including the circumstances, the evidence or the reasoning behind Stallworth’s arrest. CNN’s attempts to reach an attorney for Brown were unsuccessful.
Brown was held on probation revocation with no bond for an unrelated kidnapping, police said.
CNN’s Amir Vera and Hollie Silverman contributed to this report.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misreported that Kamille McKinney was kidnapped from her own birthday party. The party was not hers.