Father charged in stabbing death of girl found on roadway

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Federal prosecutors have filed a complaint against a North Carolina man accused of killing his 6-year-old daughter, whose body was found on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose said in a statement that a complaint charging 36-year-old Seth Willis Pickering of Asheville with murder in the death of his daughter, Lila Pickering, was filed Tuesday.

A medical examiner says the girl died from a stab wound to her chest Friday.

Court documents show Pickering and his estranged wife had been in a custody battle over the girl.

Pickering is to appear in U.S. District Court once he is transferred from state custody. State authorities also have charged him with first-degree murder.

He is being held in the Buncombe County jail. It was not clear if he has an attorney.

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Seth Willis Pickering's first name.