According a report by Law and Crime on. Tuesday, December 26, 2023, mother in Phoenix, Arizona, has been arrested and charged with murder after police found the body of her young daughter in a dumpster on Christmas Eve.
Sophia Simmons, 38, allegedly confessed to a friend that she had beaten her daughter to death and left her body in the house for days before disposing of it in a plastic tote bag.
Police said they received a tip from the friend, who was in New York, on Monday.
The friend told them that Simmons had called him and admitted to killing her daughter, who was between 5 and 7 years old.
According to court documents, Simmons told the friend that she had been abusing her daughter for a long time and that she realized she had gone too far when she found her not breathing and unresponsive.
She said she tried to revive her with CPR, but failed. She then decided to leave the body in the house and later put it in a tote bag and threw it in a dumpster behind a local business.
Police said they responded to a call about a body in a dumpster on Sunday night and discovered the child’s remains.
They said the child had multiple injuries on her body, some of which were recent and some of which were old, indicating chronic abuse.
Police obtained a search warrant for Simmons’ home and found evidence of a crime scene, such as a garden hose running through the front door, standing water in several rooms, and a couch with no cushions.
They also obtained a warrant for Simmons’ cellphone data, which showed that she was near the dumpster where the body was found on the early morning of Dec. 24.
Police arrested Simmons on Monday as she was driving westbound on Interstate 10, possibly heading to California.
She was booked into jail on charges of first-degree murder, child abuse, and tampering with evidence.
During her initial court appearance, prosecutors said Simmons had a prior conviction for malicious punishment of a child in Minnesota. She is being held without bond.
Police said they are still trying to identify the child and determine the cause and manner of death.
They are asking anyone with information to contact them or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
