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PHOENIX - A mother accused of dumping her young daughter's body in a west Phoenix dumpster on Christmas Eve has been arrested.
Phoenix Police say officers responded to 31st Avenue and Thomas Road at around 8 p.m. on Dec. 24 for reports of a body found in a dumpster. When the officers got to the scene, they found the remains of a young child.
The child was not identified, but investigators say she appeared to be between 5 and 7 years old. She was naked and was covered in open wounds and scars, according to court documents.
On Christmas Day, investigators say they received a tip from someone in New York claiming that 38-year-old Sophia Simmons had dumped her daughter's body in a dumpster.
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Child's body found in dumpster; mom arrested
A woman has made her first appearance in court, after a young child was found dead on Christmas Eve in a West Phoenix dumpster.
"Sophia told the person that she had beaten her child and it went too far," court documents read. "Sophia told the complainant that she left her house after beating the victim and when she returned the victim was not breathing."
Police obtained a search warrant for Simmons' home and found "evidence of someone attempting to clean a crime scene." Simmons was not home, but police learned she was on Interstate 10 heading back to Arizona. Simmons was eventually found in Tonopah and detained.
Simmons was arrested and booked into jail. She is accused of first-degree murder, child abuse and tampering with physical evidence. Simmons is being held on a $1 million cash bond.
Investigators say Simmons' cell phone records showed that she was in the area of the dumpster where her daughter was found dead.
"The investigation remains active as detectives await the findings of post-mortem examination by the Office of the Medical Examiner," police said.
Sophia Simmons (MCSO)