A 35-year-old mother has been arrested on a murder charge after her 2-month-old daughter was found dead inside a Mission Valley apartment Sunday morning, San Diego police said.
Police were alerted to the possible death at the IMT Mission Valley apartments at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday and arrived to find the baby girl, identified by police as Sophia Piper Rose Mendoza, obviously deceased, SDPD Lt. Adam Sharki said.
“The infant was suffering from trauma to her body that indicated she was the victim of a violent crime,” Sharki said in a police report.
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The mother, identified as Christine Mendoza, was to be booked into San Diego County jail on one count of murder, police said.
SDPD said they are still working to determine the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death, including a motive.
“At this time this appears to a tragic domestic-related incident where the infant’s mother killed her child for unknown reasons,” Sharki said.
Local
A woman, who did not wish to be identified, told NBC 7 she heard a loud commotion around 2 a.m. Sunday.
“I was sleeping and I heard noises and I had no idea like what was happening," the neighbor said. "It woke me up out of my sleep and I only heard it for like 5 minutes. I heard screaming and banging all over the place. I just was really disturbed."
That neighbor also added that the suspect and her infant daughter had moved into the complex recently.
A possible motive for the death has not been revealed. Mendoza is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.
This is a developing story. NBC 7 San Diego will update this story as more information comes.
