On Christmas Eve, Phoenix police reported that a female suspect was arrested and charged with the homicide of her daughter. The body of the young victim was found in a dumpster.

At approximately 8 o’clock in the evening on Sunday the 24th of December, police were summoned to the area of 31st Avenue and Thomas Road due to a body having been discovered in a dumpster near a business. Upon investigation, officers determined that the body was that of a young girl believed to be between 5 and 7 years old.

Investigators found the girl’s body which appeared to have injuries to the legs, arms and torso. According to court documents police believe that some of the wounds were in various stages of healing and the child had scars from previous injuries.

On Monday, an informant reported to police that Sophia Simmons, 38, had disposed of the child’s body in a trash bin. The caller claimed Simmons had told her that she had “beaten her child and it went too far” and that she left the house after beating. When the mother returned, the victim was not breathing.

According to the police report, Simmons kept the victim’s body for five days before disposing the child’s body in dumpster where it was later found on December 24.

Law enforcement agents were granted a warrant to search at Simmons’ home near 51st Avenue and McDowell Road and uncovered clues that suggested someone had attempted to clean up a crime scene.

Authorities also obtained a search warrant for Simmons’ phone records and found her device was near Indio, California, headed back to Arizona. The suspect was pulled over by authorities outside of Phoenix, near 411th Avenue and Interstate 10, and was taken to the Phoenix Police Headquarters.

Police were able to confirm that Simmons’ phone records showed her device was in the area of the dumpster where the victim was found.

She was booked into jail on multiple charges including first-degree murder, child abuse, and tampering with evidence.

An attorney in the initial court hearing disclosed that Simmons had been engaged in a prior legal case related to a minor in another jurisdiction; however, the particulars of that inquiry were not readily available.