Mom Accused Of Killing 4-Year-Old May Have Driven Body Around For Days: Report

EAST LOS ANGELES, CA — A mother accused of killing her 4-year-old daughter may have been driving around for days with the child’s body, loved ones told KABC, citing investigators.

Maria Avalos, 38, was arrested on suspicion of murder and is believed to have strangled Mia Gonzalez after she took off with the girl last week and didn’t respond to loved ones for two days, KABC reported.

"We were trying to contact her," the girl's godmother, Noemi Lopez, told ABC7. "She wasn't responding for two days. She said she needed space, that she was going through a lot. ... She should've asked for help. She should've called me."

Avalos was charged Tuesday with murder and assault in connection with the death of her daughter, who was found unresponsive last week in a vehicle in East Los Angeles.

Deputies responded around 11 p.m. Thursday to a report of a child assault in the 4800 block of Civic Center Way in East Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. They found the child unresponsive in the vehicle and she was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said.

According to the county Medical Examiner, the girl died from the combined effects of strangulation and sharp force injury of the wrist.

Her mother was detained and arrested, according to police.

Loved ones have set up a GoFundMe to help pay for the girl’s funeral.

City News Service contributed to this report.