AURORA, Colo.-
Prosecutors filed a sexual assault charge Thursday against the mother of a 3-year-old girl who was found dead after what police described as a severe beating.
It was the first public indication the child may have been sexually attacked. District attorney’s spokeswoman Kathleen Walsh said she could not discuss specifics of the allegation.
Susie Ida Quartey, 34, faces charges of sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust, assault with a deadly weapon and child abuse-knowingly causing bodily injury.
Walsh said the investigation remains open and additional charges could be filed after police receive the results of toxicology tests from the coroner. She said she could not discuss whether homicide charges were a possibility.
The coroner has said an autopsy was inconclusive.
Quartey had called police in this east Denver suburb early Saturday and said her daughter, Jolyn, was not breathing, authorities said.
Police said Jolyn had been struck at least 50 times, perhaps with a broken towel rack and a hanger. She may also have been stabbed with a piece of a towel rack and kicked, investigators said.
Police said Quartey told investigators she was carrying Jolyn in a sling when the child fell out and onto rocks in their back yard. Her attorney, Thomas Miller, said Quartey did not beat Jolyn.
Authorities said Quartey is from Ghana and was also under an immigration hold because her residency status was unclear.
The sexual assault charge carries a penalty of four to 12 years in prison and up to life on probation. An assault conviction carries two to six years in prison and the child-abuse charge carries a penalty of six to 18 months in jail.
