PHOENIX — A Phoenix woman was arrested after police found her young daughter's naked body in a dumpster on Christmas Eve near 31st Avenue and Thomas Road.
Officials with the Phoenix Police Department said a witness told officers he was looking in the dumpster for firewood when he found a plastic storage tote with the lid partially open and a child inside. He attempted to remove the tote but couldn't.
Once police arrived and removed the tote, they found a young girl between the ages of 5 and 7 with multiple injuries to her body including open wounds and scars from previous injuries.
The next day, a witness from New York called Phoenix police and told them they had received a call from 38-year-old Sophia Simmons who told her she had beaten her child and went too far. Simmons told the person she left the house after beating the child and the child was not breathing when she returned home, according to police documents.
Simmons told the person she tried CPR but was unsuccessful. Simmons said she stayed with the girl for five days before taking her to a dumpster.
The caller told police they had known Simmons for nearly 20 years.
When police went to Simmons' home, they found the door open, the alarm sounding, furniture pushed onto the patio and a hose inside coming through the door. Police said it appeared someone was attempting to clean the home.
Simmons was found and arrested in Tonopah.
She is facing multiple felony charges including first-degree murder, child abuse and tampering with physical evidence, Phoenix police said.
Records show Simmons has a prior conviction in Minnesota for malicious punishment of a child in 2013.
The investigation is still underway as detectives wait for results from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner.
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