BATON ROUGE - The trial for a man accused of burying his girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter and faking the toddler's disappearance after the mother allegedly attacked the child, causing fatal injuries, is underway Wednesday.

Phillip Gardner and his girlfriend Lanaya Cardwell were booked with second-degree murder after Nevaeh Allen was killed; Gardner also was arrested for obstruction of justice. Both pleaded not guilty and Cardwell, Nevaeh's mother, has her trial set for November 3.

Nevaeh was reported missing from Baton Rouge in September 2021 before her body was found in the Logtown area of Hancock County, Mississippi.

The Baton Rouge Police Department said Cardwell had punched the toddler, causing her to fall backward and hit her head on a cabinet after Allen picked up her mother's contact lenses. Gardner told police Cardwell grabbed Nevaeh and took her into another room. He described hearing "what sounded like two adults fighting in the room," according to arrest documents. 

Gardner told police Nevaeh had a bruise on her forehead before he took Cardwell to work, and when he got back, Nevaeh refused to eat due to stomach pain and became unresponsive.

Arrest documents say Gardner tried to revive her using CPR but was unsuccessful. He told police he left his phone at the apartment and put the toddler in a small suitcase.

He drove Nevaeh's body and two other children under his supervision, aged 3-year-old and an 11-month-old, to Mississippi, where he buried Nevaeh in the woods and threw her clothes in a trash can, officials said.

Gardner initially told police that Nevaeh disappeared after he fell asleep, resulting in a search for the missing child involving the FBI and Louisiana State Police. He later changed his story to saying he found the girl unresponsive and then disposed of her body, which he later led detectives to in a wooded area.

At Wednesday's trial, attorney's for the defense and the prosecution questioned a panel of jurors about the severity of the case and how it could be very emotional and hard for some to hear because of what is being alleged.

After meeting one last time, the court was able to decide on a jury with three alternate jurors.

Opening statements are set for Thursday morning at 8:30.