A jury returned a guilty verdict Tuesday for Amy Day, the St. Cloud woman accused of killing her mother in 2015 and burying her body in their backyard.

Day was convicted of three counts, including felony murder, in the death of Ora "Lea" Hawkins, 79. She was sentenced to life in prison.

Day reported Hawkins missing in September of 2015, but detectives said she made inconsistent statements about her mother's whereabouts. A day after Hawkins was reported missing, investigators found her body behind the home she shared with Day.

The family of Ora "Lea" Hawkins issued a statement, saying in part: "no one deserves to die in the manner that my mother died. It is beyond belief that her life was cut short through the callous actions of a relative, her daughter, my sister, Amy Day."