Mother arrested on suspicion of killing her 4-year-old daughter

A roll of police tape is left on the windshield of Los Angeles County sheriff's vehicle in the parking lot of its training academy in Whittier, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. A car struck 22 LA County sheriff's recruits on a training run around dawn Wednesday and five were critically injured, authorities said. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A woman has been arrested on suspicion of killing her 4-year-old daughter on Thursday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and local news reports. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of killing her 4-year-old daughter, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and local news reports.

Deputies responded to a call about a child being assaulted in the 4800 block of Civic Center Way in East Los Angeles about 11 p.m. Thursday, authorities said. They found the girl unresponsive in a vehicle.

The child, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The mother was detained at the scene and subsequently placed under arrest on suspicion of murder, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. She was identified as Maria Avalos, 38, authorities told ABC-TV Channel 7.

A Los Angeles County medical examiner's autopsy report released Saturday ruled the child's death a homicide. The autopsy report listed the cause of death as "combined effects of strangulation and sharp force injury of the wrist."

The department said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.