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Woman Facing Charges After Admitting She Beat Her 2-Year-Old Daughter Hours Before Death

By Dan Wing

FALLS TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) -- A Bucks County woman is facing charges after admitting late Tuesday night that she repeatedly kicked her 2-year-old daughter leading to the toddler's death.

Falls Township police say 23-year-old Kayla Moore called 9-1-1 Sunday afternoon saying her child was in cardiac arrest. The child was unresponsive when she was transported to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where she was stabilized, but the small girl died the next day.

Police say doctors at CHOP noticed the child had been terribly beaten and was possibly malnourished, and the medical examiner ruled her death a homicide by blunt force trauma.

While being interviewed Tuesday night, Moore admitted to Falls Township Detectives that she had repeatedly kicked the toddler in the head and torso before calling the ambulance on Sunday.

"The mother claims that the child had frequent tantrums where she would throw herself around the room and throw herself to the ground," said Falls Township Lt. Henry Ward. "I don't know if that's what triggered this event. She didn't go into great detail about what triggered her. She just said that she lost it and kicked the child."

Kayla Moore is facing charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of a child.

She was denied bail, and is now being held at the Bucks County Prison.

Police say a boyfriend living with Moore was questioned but not charged. Another child, a four-year-old daughter living with the couple, was turned over to county child welfare authorities.

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