Mom's boyfriend faces death penalty in 3-year-old Mariah Woods' death

ONSLOW COUNTY -- Fourth Prosecutorial District Attorney Ernie Lee announced Thursday that he intends to declare the first-degree murder case of Mariah Woods as capital and will seek the death penalty against Adolphus Earl Kimrey II.

Initially, Kimrey was charged with lesser crimes in December including concealing a death.

Missing 3-year-old Mariah Woods

However, in January, he was charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury.

Reports suggest Kimrey used chloroform - a liquid used as a general anesthetic - to kill 3-year-old Mariah Woods before dumping her body Pender County's Shelter Creek.

Authorities said Mariah's mother Kristy has been shown continuous cooperation with the investigation.

No charges have been filed against her.

RELATED: Timeline of events in Mariah Woods' disappearance