The mother of the three-year-old girl, and the mother's boyfriend were officially charged with the child's murder yesterday by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
Police say the child's mother, 26-year-old Susan Witbracht, and her boyfriend Dauntorian Sanders, 23, both of Chandler, beat the toddler with a belt until she was covered in bruises and had stopped breathing.
Autopsy results, released by the County Attorney's Office, show that the child died from blunt force trauma.
"Crimes against children, as alleged in this case, cannot be tolerated and must draw a
strong response from prosecutors. As the father of four children, I find all crimes against children deeply disturbing and seek to prosecute them aggressively," says County Attorney Andrew Thomas.
The couple was indicted on one count each of first degree murder, and four counts of child abuse, and face a possible death sentence.
