A woman accused of punching a 4-year-old girl, then lying about it, is charged with murder after the child died.
According to Harris County deputies, Elisena Carmona, 32, originally told investigators Lillian Fortner fell off a chair and hit her head. Carmona claimed the girl showed no signs of injuries when the "accident" happened
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"That was sad because she was only 4-years-old," said neighbor Adhlin Jean-Charles. "(She was) just a little girl."
On Tuesday evening, two days after suffering injuries, Lillian was
found unresponsive
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She was dead on arrival.
An autopsy performed the next day, revealed the girl died of perforation of the small intestine caused by blunt force trauma to the abdomen.
Lillian was also found to have several bruises in various stages of healing,
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Homicide investigators said once the autopsy results were revealed, Carmona finally admitted to becoming frustrated with girl and punching her in the stomach.
The girl's father was reportedly dating Carmona but wasn't home at the time of the alleged incident. The couple lived in the apartment with Lillian and her two sisters, ages 10 and 7.
CPS officials said both sisters are now in the custody of relatives
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Elisena Carmona was charged with murder and injury to a child by omission and is currently being held in the Harris County Jail.