News footage of Dayveon Lathrop during a court appearance (WMTV).
A Wisconsin man who allegedly stabbed his 8-year-old sister to death and hid her body in a tote is headed to trial.
Dayveon Lathrop, 21, was arrested in March 2024 in connection with the death of his 8-year-old adopted sister. According to a criminal complaint obtained by local NBC affiliate WMTV, the girl was reported missing by her father on March 9, 2024. When the father confronted Lathrop, who was the only one home with the girl while the father was running errands, he responded, “She is dead,” police said.
Police said the girl was found stabbed to death, her body stuffed into a tote and hidden in the home”s laundry room.
When police asked Lathrop what happened, the then-20-year-old said he did not remember, and claimed he was drunk and high on marijuana at the time. Witnesses told police that they saw Lathrop and the girl having a verbal altercation around 4:30 p.m. the day she went missing.
According to the complaint, police found two knives in a shower before finding the girl’s body. Lathrop was arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse.
Questions about Lathrop’s competency were raised at his initial court hearing, but he was deemed competent at a hearing in May 2024. After he pleaded not guilty, a trial was scheduled for July 2025 but was continued, and another competency hearing was set. At Lathrop’s second competency hearing, he was deemed incompetent to stand trial, according to court records. The suspect was ordered to be committed to a mental health facility for treatment.
A third competency hearing took place on Monday. Lathrop was deemed competent, and a jury trial was scheduled for July 2026. He was sent back to Rock County Jail, where he remains in custody. His next court date is scheduled for May 8, 2026.
