INDIANAPOLIS -- A woman accused of impersonating a couple's long-missing daughter was formally charged Thursday with identity deception, hours after her extradition from Kansas.

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Walker Flown To Indiana From Kansas

Donna Lynette Walker, 35, listened quietly as a judge read the charges that accuse her of pretending to be the grown child of a couple whose 6-year-old daughter has been missing since 1986.

Boone County Superior Court Judge Matthew C. Kincaid entered an innocent plea for Walker and set a tentative trial date for March 1.

Walker, who lives in Topeka, Kan., politely answered questions from the judge about her age and income and asked if her trial could be sooner. The judge replied that the March date was the earliest available but said the trial schedule could be discussed at later hearings.

After Walker said she was unable to pay for an attorney, the judge appointed attorney Michael Gross to represent Walker and scheduled a pretrial hearing for Dec. 10. Gross was not present for the hearing.

Walker was charged with identity deception and attempted identity deception, both felonies, and misdemeanor false reporting. If convicted of all charges, she faces a maximum of seven years in prison.

She was being held on $50,000 cash bond Thursday at the Boone County Jail in Lebanon after flying earlier in the day from Kansas, where she had been jailed for nearly two months.

Boone County Prosecutor Todd Meyer said he may consider a plea agreement to avoid the expense of a trial, provided the parents of Shannon Sherrill agree with the terms.

"I want swift justice to be brought to this woman, and I want the Sherrill family to heal as quickly as possible," Boone County Prosecutor Todd Meyer said.

Walker is accused of posing as Shannon Marie Sherrill, who was 6 when she disappeared in 1986 from Thorntown, about 30 miles northwest of Indianapolis, while playing hide and seek with neighborhood children.

No trace of her has ever been found.

Authorities said Walker called the girl's parents and police investigators in July and used different names and voices as she tried to convince them she was the missing girl, who would be 23 if she is still alive.

Walker's Topeka attorney, Billy Rork, said Thursday that he planned to continue challenging Walker's extradition in Indiana and Kansas courts.

The Kansas Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a bail request from Walker, who has remained in the Shawnee County Jail since July 31. That followed Tuesday's decision by Shawnee County District Judge Nancy Parrish that Walker's extradition to Indiana could proceed.

Rork said he had filed a second appeal with the state Supreme Court and hinted he might take the case further, possibly by filing a federal lawsuit.

Rork maintains that Walker did not intentionally try to deceive the missing girl's parents or police. He contends his client is mentally ill and thought there was a possibility she could be Shannon Sherrill.

He also has said he did not believe Walker was receiving proper care for her mental illness while she was in jail.

Sherrill's mother, Dorothy Sherrill, said she was anxious now that Walker is in Indiana.

"I know here, everyone knows pretty much what we've been through ... (whereas) down there in Kansas, they really don't know," Dorothy Sherrill said.