Keishanna Thomas, 33, of Bradenton, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading no contest to charges of second-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and abuse of a dead body.
The body of 11-year-old Janiya Thomas was found stuffed in a freezer that her mother had delivered to a relative's Bradenton-area house in 2015, according to police. Relatives allegedly opened the padlocked freezer after hearing the child was missing.
An indictment says Thomas killed Janiya through some combination of starving, asphyxiation and drowning. She was last seen by family members in 2014.
Thomas had withdrawn Janiya from school in the spring of 2013 and was allegedly homeschooling her, a probable cause affidavit said, but had not submitted the required documentation for academic evaluation.
During several court hearings, Thomas refused to talk about the girl's whereabouts.
Thomas was sentenced to 65 years in prison on the murder charge, 15 years for child abuse and five years for abuse of a dead body, to be served concurrently.