A New Mexico man is accused of beating his daughter to death after becoming angry that she stopped doing her homework, PEOPLE confirms.
When officers attempted to find out what happened to the girl, the report alleges Reynolds told them multiple stories, including that he was falling asleep with the girl when her heart stopped beating, according to the report.
Detectives checked the girl’s injuries and noted there was extensive bruising across her back, including “bruising to her right abdomen [which] appeared consistent with the tread from a shoe,” according to the report.
Reynolds allegedly told police he was helping the girl with her homework when the 5-year-old told her father she didn’t want to do it.
“’That’s when the discipline came in,’” he allegedly told police, according to the report. “He started with spanking her on her bottom and ended up, ‘blacking out.’”
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Clickhereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
An autopsy is pending, according to officials. Neighbors identified the girl as Sarah Dubois-Gilbeau.
TheAlbuquerque JournalreportsReynolds had full custody of his daughter.
“Since her birth, the child has been in the custody of the father since the child tested positive for THC at birth and contrary to instructions from the birth hospital, mother was observed breast feeding the child when she was positive for THC. He has been her primary caregiver and remains the sole legal and physical custodian of the child,” the court records state.
The girl’s mother Chantel Smith, who lives in California, has set up aGoFundMe pageto help cover funeral costs.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go towww.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
