A South Milwaukee woman and her boyfriend were charged after her four-year-old daughter was found dead at their home. The incident took place at Montana Avenue located at Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, last Friday.

The accused, identified as 21-year-old Christina Collado and 22-year-old Jerome Millen, were arrested and charged after Collado’s daughter, identified as four-year-old Autumn Marie Horak, was found unresponsive early morning on Feb. 28.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found the 4-year-old girl unresponsive and pulseless. She was found with bruises on her jaw, head, forearm, and chest along with several bite marks and a burn injury. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to reports, several witnesses told police that Autumn was abused often and was found covered in bruises. When questioned about the alleged abuse, Collado admitted that Millen had abused the child in the past also and she had witnessed him biting the child on two separate occasions. She also told police that if she had properly protected the child, she would still be alive.

Meanwhile, her boyfriend admitted to previously hitting the four-year-old. He also admitted that he had tried covering her mouth and holding a pillow over her face in order to get the child to sleep.

"If all the injuries caused (the child) to die, it's my fault. If she suffocated, that is my responsibility and I killed that child,” he told the police, according to the criminal complaint.

Following an autopsy, the child’s manner of death was ruled as a homicide. Collado was charged with chronic neglect of a child leading to death, whereas, Millen was charged with physical abuse of a child, and repeated acts causing death.

crime scene
Representational image Getty Images/Jonathan Alcorn
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