In a horrific incident, a California mom has been arrested for allegedly murdering her nine-year-old daughter. The daughter was found dead in their Orange County home on Friday, November 24.
The accused, in connection with her child’s death, was a 32-year-old mother, Khadiyjah Aliyyah Ali Pendergraph. She was arrested at a shopping center in Aliso Viejo and booked at the Orange County Jail (via New York Post).
According to the Westminster Police Department, a concerned family member contacted the officers on November 24, 2023. They reached the police around 12:04 p.m. to conduct a welfare check at the home in the 14100 block of Goldenwest St. in Westminster, about 32 miles south of Los Angeles.
In response to the call, the officers checked the address and eventually had to force their way into the home. The officers found the 9-year-old girl with “obvious signs of trauma.” There was no one else inside the residence at the time.
Investigators later identified the girl’s mom as a person of interest in her murder. She was then located in the shopping center and eventually arrested by the officers.
Per the police department, there are no more suspects at this time. The case “appears to be an isolated incident” (via Fox59).
According to Westminster Chief of Police Darin Lenyi, “While police officers are exposed to tragedies on a daily basis, this murder is particularly disturbing, due to the senseless loss of a child allegedly at the hands of her own mother. The members of the WPD grieve with the victim’s family and extend our deepest condolences.”
Detectives are still investigating the case, looking for more evidence and speaking to additional witnesses about the case.
