Investigators say Madilynn Hadaway was restrained and left face down for more than 12 hours before her June 12 death.

CUSSETA, Ala. — A 22-year-old Alabama woman has been charged with murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter after investigators said the child was restrained and left face down on a bed for more than 12 hours before apparently dying from asphyxiation. Sierra Shay Hadaway was arrested in July in connection with the June 12 death of Madilynn Hadaway, according to the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office.

The murder charge followed a monthlong investigation that began when deputies and emergency medical workers were called to a residence on County Road 187 in the Cusseta area at about 9 a.m. June 12 for a report that a child was not breathing. Authorities said deputies attempted lifesaving measures until Lanett EMS arrived. Madilynn was taken to East Alabama Medical Center Lanier, where she was pronounced dead. Her body was then sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science for an autopsy. By mid-July, investigators said the evidence gathered in the case led them to charge Hadaway with murder. Authorities have described the death as an apparent asphyxiation but have not publicly released a full autopsy report or a detailed account of how investigators believe the events unfolded inside the residence.

The sheriff’s office said investigators determined that Madilynn’s arms, legs and ankles had been bound and that she had been placed face down on a bed for more than 12 hours. Officials said they believe she died from asphyxiation. The allegation forms the central factual basis publicly disclosed by authorities in announcing the murder case, but investigators have released few additional details. They have not publicly explained what material was allegedly used to restrain the child, exactly when the restraint began, who was present during the period investigators described or what evidence allowed detectives to establish the length of time. Those unanswered questions remain important because Hadaway has been charged, not convicted, and the state will have to support its allegations through the court process.

The response on June 12 marked the beginning of the investigation rather than the end of it. Authorities said the initial call concerned a child who was not breathing, and emergency responders focused first on trying to save her life. After Madilynn was pronounced dead at the hospital, the investigation expanded to include the sheriff’s office, the Fifth Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office and the Alabama Department of Forensic Science. The transfer of her body for an autopsy placed forensic findings at the center of the inquiry. Officials later publicly described the suspected cause of death as asphyxiation, but they have not released a complete forensic report detailing the medical findings or explaining how those findings connect to each allegation against Hadaway. The limited disclosure means much of the state’s evidence has not yet been tested in open court.

Investigators have also identified Christian Myles Sturkie as a suspect connected to the case. Authorities said Sturkie died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on June 14, two days after Madilynn died. The sheriff’s office has not publicly detailed what role investigators believe Sturkie may have played in the events leading to the child’s death, and the available official accounts do not establish that he caused her death. His death left investigators without the possibility of prosecuting him if evidence ultimately supported criminal charges. It also created another unresolved part of the inquiry because officials have not publicly described what evidence led them to label him a suspect or whether his death changed the direction of the investigation. Law enforcement officials have continued to describe the overall case as active.

Hadaway’s case moved into court after her arrest. At an Aniah’s Law hearing in Chambers County in July, prosecutors asked that she remain in the Chambers County Detention Facility rather than be released on bond. Assistant District Attorney Taylor-Lee Stokes told local television station WTVM that the state wanted Hadaway kept in custody while the case proceeded. Stokes also said the investigation was continuing and declined to discuss additional details of the prosecution. Alabama’s Aniah’s Law process allows judges, under qualifying circumstances, to consider whether a defendant accused of certain serious offenses should be held without bond. The hearing did not determine whether Hadaway committed the crime. That question must be resolved through the criminal process, where prosecutors bear the burden of proving the charge and the defendant retains the presumption of innocence.

Stokes said the case could proceed through a preliminary hearing before being presented to a grand jury. A preliminary hearing, if held, can give a court an early opportunity to consider whether sufficient legal grounds exist for the prosecution to continue, while a grand jury determines whether the state has enough evidence to return an indictment. Neither step is a finding of guilt. WTVM reported July 21 that a judge was expected to issue a written ruling on Hadaway’s bond following the Aniah’s Law hearing. The sources publicly reviewed for this report did not provide a later reliable ruling on that question. Authorities also have not publicly released a trial date, a complete charging document detailing the prosecution’s theory or a full account of what Hadaway has told investigators, if anything.

Separate from the criminal investigation, Madilynn’s obituary records the short life of a child born Sept. 22, 2023, and remembered by relatives as “Maddie.” Her family said she enjoyed playing with dolls, spending time outside and being around her young friends. The obituary also described her attachment to a dog named Willow and said she brought happiness to people around her. Visitation was held June 23 at Valley-Point Funeral Home in Lanett, followed by funeral and graveside services June 24. Those details provide a picture of Madilynn outside the allegations that now define the public criminal case. She was 2 years old when she died, and her death came more than three months before what would have been her third birthday.

The contrast between the emergency call on June 12 and the murder charge announced weeks later shows how the case developed from an unexplained child death into a homicide investigation. Deputies initially arrived because Madilynn was reported unresponsive. Medical personnel transported her to a hospital, forensic specialists received her body, investigators gathered evidence and authorities eventually said they had determined she had been restrained for an extended period. The sheriff’s office has not disclosed every step that led from the initial response to the charge, and prosecutors have said the investigation remains underway. That distinction matters because the allegations made at the arrest stage represent the government’s account of the evidence gathered so far, not a verdict reached after testimony and cross-examination.

Several significant questions therefore remain outside the public record. Authorities have not released a complete minute-by-minute chronology of the more than 12-hour period described by investigators. They have not publicly said who allegedly restrained Madilynn, whether anyone else was present for all or part of that period or precisely what evidence prosecutors contend establishes Hadaway’s criminal responsibility. Officials also have not publicly explained Sturkie’s alleged involvement beyond identifying him as a suspect and reporting his death. Those gaps should not be filled by speculation. They are matters investigators may address through court filings, testimony or later public statements as the case advances.

Currently, Hadaway remains accused of murder in connection with her daughter’s death, and the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office, Fifth Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office and Alabama Department of Forensic Science have continued to be identified as the agencies involved in the investigation. No conviction has been reported. The next significant developments are expected to come through the court process or additional official disclosures about the evidence gathered in Madilynn’s death.

Author note: Last updated Aug. 23, 2026.