Body of Carnel Chamberlain, 4, had been burned, buried, prosecutor says

(CBS/AP) BAY CITY, Mich. - The body of 4-year-old Michigan boy Carnel Chamberlain was so badly burned that authorities had trouble identifying it as human remains, a prosecutor said Tuesday as a judge refused to grant bond to the man accused of abusing the child weeks earlier.

Pictures: Missing Carnel Chamberlain, 4, found dead

The courtroom remarks were the first public disclosure by federal authorities since Carnel's body was discovered under his house last week on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian reservation, 70 miles north of Lansing.

No one has been charged with the boy's death. Anthony Bennett, who was supposed to be watching Carnel on the last day the boy was seen alive, has been charged with assaulting him in late May or early June.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Binder declined to grant bail to Bennett, which means he will stay in jail while the investigation continues.

Defense attorney Anthony Chambers said Bennett, 20, deserved bail. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Wininger said he has a record of not following orders in other cases in tribal court.

Carnel lived with his mother, Jaimee Chamberlain, and Bennett, her boyfriend. The boy was last seen alive on June 21 before his mother went to work and left him with Bennett. A weeklong search on the reservation ended last Thursday.

Carnel's body was so extensively burned that "it was difficult to identify as a person," Wininger told the judge.

In a court filing, the FBI said Jaimee Chamberlain witnessed some of the abuse that led to assault charges against Bennett, a disclosure that surprised and disappointed her family.

"We can't condone the actions, or inactions, of anybody in the home," said family spokesman Kevin Chamberlain, a cousin. "It's unfortunate. Her inactions certainly didn't help where we are today. It's a tough pill to swallow."

Kevin Chamberlain said the bathroom floor was soaked and the tub was less than full when Jaimee Chamberlain returned home from work and was told her son was missing.

A memorial service is planned for July 15 at the tribe's Soaring Eagle Casino, but Carnal's funeral could be delayed weeks or months because of the investigation.

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June 29, 2012 - Carnel Chamberlain Death: Anthony Bennett charged with assaulting Mich. boy later found dead
June 29, 2012 - Carnel Chamberlain: Missing 4-year-old found dead under home on Mich. reservation