Staci Wind waived an early hearing after police accused her of killing her daughter Ayla.
SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. — The murder case against Staci Leann Wind has moved toward Nicholas County Circuit Court after the Richwood woman waived an early hearing in the death of her daughter, Ayla Wind.
The waiver changed the pace of the case but did not decide guilt. Staci Wind, 50, remains accused of killing Ayla Wind, 26, after first reporting her missing. Police said Ayla’s remains were found in a shallow grave near Summit Lake in Greenbrier County, days after the missing-person report in Richwood. The charge now moves into a higher court process, where prosecutors are expected to present evidence to a grand jury. Staci Wind has pleaded not guilty, and she remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The court shift followed a hearing date where Richwood Chief Deputy Shane Boggs could have testified about the first report and what police later found. Instead, Staci Wind waived the preliminary hearing. In West Virginia, that means prosecutors do not need to present probable-cause evidence in magistrate court before the case advances. The move sends the charge to circuit court, where a grand jury may decide whether to indict. Boggs still described key parts of the investigation publicly after the waiver. He said Staci Wind initially seemed like a concerned mother, but “wasn’t frantic.” He said she told police Ayla had met someone online and left in an unknown vehicle. Boggs said the account lacked basic details, including who the person was, whether that person was male or female and where they were going beyond a possible lake.
The case began May 18, when Staci Wind filed a missing-person report with the Richwood Police Department. She said Ayla had been missing since May 15. Police and family members later described different pieces of Ayla’s last known plans. Phone records showed Ayla had texted with her mother and said she was getting snacks at a gas station, investigators said. A family account said Ayla had told loved ones she planned to go to a lake with friends. Relatives also said Ayla had been preparing to move back to Utah. Those details gave police both a narrow timeline and a broader family context. They also made the missing-person report harder to treat as an ordinary disappearance because relatives said Ayla kept steady contact with her son, partner and mother.
Four days after the missing-person report, troopers were called to Summit Lake after a report of human remains. Boggs said someone found a burn pit that contained a yellow cellphone, bones and debris. Officers searched nearby and found Ayla’s body to the left of the field where the burn pit had been found, he said. State police said the body was in a shallow grave. Investigators said the remains had been burned, and the criminal complaint described a burned tarp and what appeared to be a bloodied sheet inside the grave. Two ferns had been placed on top. Police said human bones, charcoal and wood chips were found near the burn area. The discovery gave prosecutors a physical scene to present in court, but authorities have not released the final autopsy finding or a complete cause of death.
The next court issue will likely turn on the evidence police say they gathered after that discovery. State police searched Staci Wind’s Riverside Drive home in Richwood on May 23. Investigators said presumptive chemical testing indicated blood stains in several parts of the house. They said bloody handprints were found on a wall in Ayla’s room and that a cut-up, bloodied mattress was recovered. Police said Staci Wind had claimed the mattress had been given away. Officers also searched Staci Wind’s truck. The complaint says two plant baskets in the truck matched the shape and size of the ferns found at the grave. Investigators also reported finding a booster seat manual that they said matched an item connected to the burial area. These points could become the foundation for witness testimony, forensic exhibits and arguments over what happened before Ayla’s body was found.
Staci Wind’s own statements are also expected to matter. Police said she told investigators she bought charcoal, wood chips and lighter fluid before going to Summit Lake on May 16. She said she camped there in her truck, according to the complaint. The timing is important because May 16 was one day after Ayla was last reported seen and two days before Staci Wind filed the missing-person report. Prosecutors may use that account to connect her to the Summit Lake area. Defense counsel could argue that being at the lake or buying supplies does not by itself prove murder. The public records do not show whether police have surveillance video, store receipts, DNA results or cellphone location data that further support the timeline. Those records may emerge later if the case is indicted and moves through discovery.
The grand jury phase is private, but its outcome will set the next public steps. Prosecutors can ask grand jurors to indict Staci Wind on first-degree murder, second-degree murder or other charges supported by the evidence. Reports of online court records said Staci Wind also faced a second-degree murder count in addition to first-degree murder. If indicted, she would appear in circuit court for arraignment. The court would then address bond, discovery, motions, trial deadlines and possible plea discussions. A first-degree murder charge is the most serious homicide charge in West Virginia. The final sentence, if there is a conviction, would depend on the charge proven, jury findings and state law. No trial date has been announced in the public reports reviewed.
Ayla Wind’s family has focused on bringing her home to Utah and supporting the child she left behind. A fundraising page said donations would help transport her ashes west, cover travel between Utah and West Virginia, pay for a memorial and support relatives affected by the death. The page said Ayla was preparing to move back to Utah before she was killed. Local reports said she was scheduled to pick up a rental car on the same day she was reported missing. Those details may not become legal evidence unless they relate to motive or timeline, but they are part of why the case has drawn attention beyond Nicholas County. The death reached family members in another state and turned a planned move into funeral and court travel.
The investigation also remains active outside the courtroom. Police have not publicly named a motive, released a cause of death or said whether they expect other people to be charged. Sgt. Douglas Gordon said investigators were continuing to examine the case and possible motive. Evidence from the home, truck and Summit Lake site may still be undergoing testing. The court process can move before every lab report is public, but prosecutors will need to organize the physical evidence, police statements and witness accounts before trial. The defense will have the chance to review the state’s evidence and challenge whether it supports the charges.
The case is of June 21, with Staci Wind held after her arrest and the matter headed toward the grand jury process. The next major milestone is a Nicholas County Circuit Court indictment decision.
Author note: Last updated June 21, 2026.