PHOENIX, AZ – A heartbreaking incident occurred in Phoenix on Christmas Eve when the body of a young girl was found in a dumpster. As a result of the find, the deceased girl’s mother, Sophia Simmons, 38, has been arrested on charges of murder.
Phoenix police were alerted to the area near 31st and Grand avenues on a call around 8 p.m. on Sunday, December 24. Here, they discovered the body of a “school-aged” girl in a dumpster near a local business.
Following a tip-off received the next day, Sophia Simmons was arrested, with the source alleging that she had hidden her daughter’s dead body in a dumpster, reportedly caused by injuries during an assault.
Court documents reveal the discovery was made by a witness in search of firewood in a dumpster. The witness found a partially open storage container that housed the girl’s body. A nearby security guard assisted the witness in alerting the police. The official medical team found the girl with multiple injuries on her arms, legs, and torso, with some wounds appearing to be at varying healing stages, underlying possible instances of recurrent abuse marked by scarring.
Adding to the narrative of potential abuse, a New York-based witness informed the Phoenix police that Simmons revealed during a phone call that she had “beaten her child and it went too far.” Having left home after the assault, Simmons returned to find her daughter not breathing, the witness claimed. Simmons reportedly stayed with her deceased daughter’s body for five days before depositing it in a dumpster on December 24.
During a search warrant executed at Simmons’ home, the police found signs of attempts to cover up a crime. Although Simmons was not home during the search, her phone had been traced near Indio, California, and was headed back to Arizona. Records indicated that Simmons’ device was near the dumpster at around 10:30 a.m. on December 24, where her daughter’s body had been discovered. She was apprehended by police outside Phoenix and subsequently charged with first-degree murder, child abuse, and tampering with evidence.
During Simmons’ first court appearance, her attorney mentioned Simmons’ past involvement with a child-related case in a different state, the details of which remain undisclosed. The investigation into the incident continues.