AURORA, Colo.-
A 3-year-old girl found dead last weekend had been struck at least 50 times, perhaps with a hanger and a broken towel rack, police said.
The girl’s mother, Susie Ida Quartey, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse and assault. A judge on Tuesday refused to reduce her bail from $500,000.
Quartey, 34, called police in this east Denver suburb early Saturday and said her daughter, Jolyn, was not breathing, authorities said.
An autopsy was inconclusive and more tests were pending, the coroner said.
An arrest warrant affidavit said police believe the girl had been kicked, beaten with a coat hanger and pieces of a metal towel rack, and stabbed with a piece of the towel rack.
Police said Quartey told investigators she was carrying Jolyn in a sling when the child fell out and onto rocks in their back yard.
“The mother is in an absolute state of horror. This child was loved. This child was not beaten by her mother,” said her attorney, Thomas Miller.
Another hearing was scheduled for Thursday.
Authorities said Quartey is from Ghana and was also under an immigration hold because her residency status was unclear.
