A woman in California was arrested after her 4-year-old daughter was found strangled to death, ABC News reported. The media outlet reported that the woman was arrested on suspicion of murder after the young girl was found unresponsive in a car in East Los Angeles on Thursday night.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that the woman was identified as Maria Avalos, 38. However, it is not clear if the woman has been charged officially but as per jail records, she is currently in custody.
The 4-year-old was identified as Mia Gonzalez. "Mia was a really good kid," her godmother Noemi Lopez told KABC. "She was the light of my home. She didn't deserve this."
Authorities found Mia in an unresponsive state following a report of a child assault, according to sources citing the police. She was declared dead at the hospital. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner classifies Mia's cause of death as a homicide, resulting from both strangulation and a sharp force injury to the wrist.
The family told KABC that the investigators said Avalos could have been driving around with Mia's body for days before she was found.
Mia's family started a GoFundMe for funeral expenses, which has raised over $1,000.
"With pain in our hearts we are asking for help with the death of our little Mia Gonzalez," the organizer wrote. "Her dad Jose Gonzalez along with the rest of the Gonzalez family and her godmother Noemi Lopez thank you for any donation for her funeral. God bless you and multiply your generosity."
