A 24-year-old woman has been charged with murder and faces $2 million bail after her 15-month-old daughter was found fatally injured in a Santa Monica apartment earlier this week.
Carmen Degregg was taken into custody after UCLA Police detained her on campus around 11:54 a.m. Jan. 6, according to the Santa Monica Police Department. Officers said Degregg made statements indicating she had harmed her child and left the toddler inside an apartment in the 2200 block of Broadway.
Santa Monica police responded to the residence and found the girl with significant injuries. Fire department personnel transported the child to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged Degregg with one count of murder and one count of willful cruelty to a child resulting in great bodily injury or death. She remains in police custody at Santa Monica Jail.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death.
Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division are investigating the case, which police said appears to be an isolated incident with no ongoing threat to the community.
Anyone with information can contact Detective Isaac Reyes at isaac.reyes@santamonica.gov or the Watch Commander at 310-458-8427.