A Hernando County family is mourning the death of a 6-year-old girl in North Carolina.

  • Lila Marie Pickering found dead in North Carolina Friday night
  • Mother said child was at center of bitter custody dispute
  • Father charged with first-degree murder

The body of Lila Marie Pickering was discovered along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Buncombe County Friday night.

Her father, Seth Pickering, 36, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

The child's mother, Ashley Pickering, said they had been locked in a bitter custody battle.

She said she left Seth Pickering about 15 months ago because of alleged abuse and moved to Spring Hill, Florida to be closer to her family. She said authorities wouldn't let her bring Lila with her.

"I just talked to her case worker on Friday and she said she had been placed in a safe, temporary home and they were going to work with me to get her back down here with me," Ashley Pickering said.

The family isn't sure how Seth Pickering got the child away from that home.

"How, how does that happen? I don't want any family to ever, ever go through something like this," said Cindy Dabill, the child's grandmother.

The family doesn't know why Seth Pickering would want to hurt his daughter.

"She worshipped him, she loved her daddy so much. In pictures she was always sitting in his lap, smiling. I can't imagine how he could hurt someone who loved him so deeply. I never thought he'd do something like this," said Ashley Pickering.

She describes her daughter as a "happy" child.

"She was definitely a miracle in this world. She loved helping people. She was always giving stuff to everybody. She always wanted to talk to everybody. She was curious, so smart, already reading and writing before she hit school," said Ashley Pickering.

The child's mother and grandmother are making plans to go to North Carolina.

"We're bringing her home, one way or another, she is coming home," said Cindy Davill.

Because of where the murder occurred, the FBI is handling the case.

Agents aren't saying yet how the child was killed or why.