A Babysitter Said She Took The Toddler She Was Watching For A Stroll. She's Now Charged With Murder, Cops Say.

A Colorado babysitter was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of a 23-month old girl she was watching last month, police said.

Around 3:00 p.m. on Jan. 31, Denise Cordova, 47, called the child’s mother and said something had happened to the little girl, KRDO-TV reported.

When the mother arrived at her home in Conejos County, she saw Cordova was holding the infant on the sofa, but the child didn’t appear to be breathing.

First responders were called and the toddler was airlifted to Children’s Hospital in Colorado Springs, where she was pronounced dead from a severe traumatic brain injury on Feb. 3.

KRDO-TV reported the child suffered a subdural hemorrhage, or severe swelling of the brain, and she had significant bruising on her face, forehead and on the inside of both ears.

Court records show Cordova told investigators she was out for a walk with the toddler when she tried to stand up from the stroller and fell face first. However, a doctor told KUSA that it was “physically impossible” for the girl’s injuries to have happened that way.

Investigators obtained footage from a motion-activated camera on a neighbor’s house, which did not capture the babysitter strolling by with the infant during the time Cordova said they were out. The camera did capture traffic passing by on the street though, court documents show.

Cordova also told first responders, who smelled alcohol on the babysitter's breath, that she kept the child awake after the fall by hitting her on the back “repeatedly” and if they happened to see any marks on the child, “that’s where they came from.”

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Investigators checked the text messages on Cordova’s phone and said her timeline of events did not “flow consistently,” according to KUSA.

Cordova was booked into the Conejos County Jail on the murder charge as well as child abuse charges. She is being held on a $1 million bond.